SquidgeWorld Archive

Title: Fallout

Author: Lopaka Tanu

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership of Battlestar Galactica.

Characters: Gaeta, Lee, ensemble

Wordcount: 26063

Prompt:

Fandom: Battlestar Galactica

Pairing: Gaeta/Lee

Rating: Adult

Warnings: Language, Violence, Alternate Universe, Mpreg.

Summary: While fighting to survive, Felix must face his actions regarding the cylons and their consequences.

Author's Note: Based upon the first twenty-five episodes.

______________________________________

"Prep the patient for emergency surgery. Don't worry about the clothes, he'll get more later!" Scowling, Cottle felt ready to cuff his nursing staff upside their collective ears. He took a final drag from his cigarette, stobbed it out in a pan, then pulled his mask on. Figures, at the end of the world, he would be stuck with the incompetent morons left over from the nursing school graduates.

~~~~~~~~ 33 ~~~

Exhausted from their continued jumps, Commander Adama, Colonel Tigh, Laura Roslin, Gaius Baltar, and Captain Apollo gathered around the wardroom table. On the table were files, hundreds of reports on genetic and cellular mutations. Inter sped among them were hand written copies of observations and calculations. Photos, large and small, digital and printed, were passed between them. Computer discs littered in a small stack at the edge of the table while Gaius went over them on a personal computer.

Just looking at it made Adama's skin crawl. To know that it existed on his ship made him furious beyond reason. It was a piece of banned technology for a reason. But, because of the graveness of their situation, he was left no other choice but to allow its continued existence. "Well, doctor?"

"Fascinating." Gaius' tone was breathless in wonder. In all his years, he had never seen such an advanced device, let alone run the programs it did. The vast storage of knowledge and amount of data stored in it made him hard. "I've never, in all my years, it's just... mind blowing!"

"Well, I'm glad one of us is happy about it." Frowning, Lee picked up another folder with information in it. Scanning the tag on it, he frowned. It was marked entry number two-eight-seven-dash-six. "This isn't Felix's hand writing, I wonder where he got all this from."

"Dr. Anton Atrius." Laura's words stilled Gaius' hands.

"What? That's impossible, Anton Atrius died during the cylon war!" Realizing his words, Gaius colored about his cheeks. "The first cylon war."

"No, he went underground." Turning a folder so Tigh and Adama could see it, Laura pointed to the pictures in it. On the right side of the file were comparisons between an old man and a young man. "Dr. Atrius changed his name and credentials to that of a colleague who did die. Says here it was too escape prosecution under the new science and technologies war crimes act."

"Why didn't he ever change back? The act was repealed two years after the war had ended." Feeling he should be the one to state the only question he could come up with, Tigh looked to Roslin expectantly. He wished he had a drink, the very research in the files creeped him out.

"His work still put him at risk. Besides, he had a comfy job and access to a personal lab. He had everything he wanted as Dr. Sarlos Sripos." Smiling at the name, she felt every minute of her exhaustion. "Gentlemen, I have no idea what all this means, and I think the only one who does lays dying in Galatica's infirmary."

"Actually, Madam President, I believe I can solve this." Pushing up his glasses, Gaius finished typing in the command string to reprogram the password on the computer and closed it. He would have need of it later and didn't want anyone else to have access to it. "Dr. Adama was continuing the research of Dr. Shenkar and Dr. Atrius. Not with the same purpose in mind, but one very specific goal."

"He knew they were coming." His words haunted her memory. Closing her eyes, Laura felt the table sway under her. "I'm exhausted, I am sure all of you are as well. Why don't we continue this later. We will discuss Mr. Gaeta's fate, if he should live, at another time."

"You won't." Staring at the President and his father in defiance, Lee stood up. "When he comes out of this, the only decision you are going to make is how best he can serve, just like the rest of us. Felix risked his life to expose the cylon technology, if he hadn't who knows what might have happened."

"Then why didn't the mutt warn us before we were attacked?" No one could answer Tigh's question. Pointing a finger at Lee, Tigh stared him down. "You can talk all you want, junior, but if he is a traitor, there is only one fate for him."

"Enough, both of you. When Mr. Gaeta... Felix wakes, he will be questioned. That's final." Rising from the table, Bill swayed a little and had to use the chair to hold himself steady. He needed to get some sleep and soon. "Madam President, if you wish to stay we have a VIP cabin, if you wish to leave, your ship is still docked in the port side landing bay."

"I'll take the cabin, thank you, Commander Adama." Rising from the table, she leaned on her own chair until the room stopped spinning. Feeling light headed, she snorted out a giggle. "Oh, I hope I don't fall flat on my face in front of your crew. That really isn't a good way to start off my presidency."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Slipping in to the quarters that had been Felix's a week ago, Lee glanced about the room. Upon the walls was everything that had been Felix's duffle not sealed in a box at the bottom of his bag. The contents of the box now rested in the Commander's hands, including the computer that Gaius hadn't wanted to let go of. Lee hadn't known Felix had it, or any of the contents of the box.

Sitting on the bunk, Lee admitted to himself there were many things he hadn't known about his husband, hadn't bothered to ask. One of those things he hadn't bothered to ask, where had Felix been during the times he was absent the first year of their relationship. Another thing he never asked, why had Felix stayed with him. His last words had been for him.

Letting the grief take hold, Lee looked up on the walls. He had had the chief put mounts on the walls for the pictures. An entire album spanning their two year marriage lined one wall. Another held pictures of Lee's family, his brother, his mother, even one with Admiral Montrose. Lee looked away quickly from the one of his mother kissing Montrose's cheek. They were gone, yet he couldn't bring himself to think about it.

The third wall was covered in one large tapestry. Lee didn't know how, or when, but his husband had taken it from the display case in their apartment back on Caprica. It had been wrapped in a leather case with a lock and a tag signed 'to Commander Adama'. He didn't know what Felix had in mind, but he wasn't giving it to his father. On the wall beside the bed, Lee had the mounted picture of Felix in his underwear and unbuttoned shirt with the pellet gun down his pants.

That had been his one contribution to the room's decor, it never left Lee's own duffle except when he was stationed away from home. Home was now an eight by ten room on the BattleStar Galactica. At least he and Felix would share it together. Unzipping his flight suit, he allowed himself to remember the precious few hours before the meeting. He had been so exhausted flying the Viper. Under normal circumstances he would never have been out there without sleep.

When Felix woke up, he would confess to being a murderer. What his husband decided of him he would except as what he was. Fifteen hundred people, if they had been real, had lost their lives at his hands. Fifteen hundred people on a transport with nukes heading towards his home, his family, his husband. Squeezing the trigger had been an easy choice.

Too easy.

Slipping out of his flight suit, he fell back against the bed. His bed, soon to be their bed. Felix would be well enough to come home soon and he planned on making one for them. They would have each other, there were people he knew on the ship, he would make it work. Slipping in to sleep, Lee didn't notice as his face became soaked in tears.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Standing on the outside of the infirmary, Gaius watched through the door as Felix was tended by a nurse. It wasn't normally a life threatening wound, but the delay in his treatment had been costly. They had waited until after the attack, then he had to wait until the injured pilots were taken care of, finally, the jumping began. All in all, Gaius estimated Felix had waited close to six hours before being treated.

It was disgusting.

Because of Commander Adama's anger, Felix Adama lay in a drug induced coma. Gaius shivered, it could just as easily be him if the commander knew how involved he had been. Already, the man looked at him as if he was the enemy just because of his field of study. The man needed him since an over zealous guard had nearly killed his other best hope. Gaius had heard what had happened, knew Felix was trying to save them.

Who knew, if they hadn't shot the good Major, three of the ships lost because of the bumbling tactical officer might still be with them. As it was, they had him calculating jumps while Tigh ran the damned dradis. Lieutenant Hanlon was cooling his heels in his quarters nursing a broken jaw. Adama Jr. was quite a mean insomniac.

Chuckling, Gaius felt weary of being stuck on the Galactica. No other ship would have him thanks to the Commander's edict. He had been drafted, for lack of a better word, in to the service of the colonies. Holding no official rank or title, he was simply Dr. Baltar, jack of all trades. Oh yes, there was no denying it, he was truly indispensable to these people. So, it served him if no one ever knew he and the beautiful, but deadly, Natasi had ever met.

Sadly, that meant Felix was safer for him dead. Despite the influence of his own personal Natasi demon, he wouldn't bring himself to kill the man. Felix had spared his life when he could have turned him in as a traitor, he would spare his in return. As fingers creeped up his neck to caress his cheek on one side, Six's face pressed against his other.

"Stewing again, my love? If you hadn't told me you didn't brood, I would think you were doing it now." Wrapping her arms around his waist, she squeezed him tight enough to make him gasp. "Since you've been so kind, God has told me to give you a gift. Aaron Doral is a cylon."

"What?" In alarm, Gaius turned to look at her but the apparition was gone. Swallowing, he cast a final glance to Felix, then went off to his lab. There were samples he was running for analysis based upon Felix's findings, Aaron Doral was one of them.

~~~~~~~~~~

Hitting the switch that sent Aaron Doral in to space was almost like ecstasy for him. A quick glance over his shoulder told Lee that he wasn't the only one who enjoyed watching the bastard get sucked out. When they had confronted him earlier that morning with Gaius' findings, the cylon hadn't even pretended. Instead, he tried to get them to shoot him. It wouldn't have been nearly as satisfying, but would have saved them hours of frustratingly futile interrogation.

"Well, I could certainly do that again." Rubbing her hands together, Kara grinned at Gaius. "Got any more?"

In disgust, Gaius turned away. He wanted nothing to do with these people, their blood lust was beyond repulsive. Shoving passed the guards, he fled in to the corridor and back to his lab. At least this way he could find some room to breathe. The fact they had just spaced someone who had been a personal threat to him had nothing to do with. If the cylon had named him... Gaius shook it off.

Back in the docking port, Bill saw the President in a new light. He had thought she would fight for the rights of the cylon, a bleeding heart that sympathized with life. When she had unequivocally stated to space him, even he had been surprised. There was a calculating coldness to her that he hadn't believed existed. Grudgingly, he had to admit he liked it.

Letting his hand fall from the airlock controls, Lee stepped back. Ignoring the others, he slipped out of the docking port and turned towards the infirmary. Since he had no job today, it being Kara's shift on CAP, he resigned himself to spending it in the infirmary. Even after twelve hours of sleep, he still felt exhausted.

Kara watched Lee leave in silence. She sympathized with him, but Felix's actions had gotten him shot, no one else's. Saluting the Commander, she headed back to the pilot's barracks to get ready for her duty shift.

The last one left in the room, Laura continued to watch the airlock. Her first official execution. She still felt the cold and bitter hatred that had coursed through her the moment she learned Aaron was a cylon. If he had been near her, she would have tried to kill him herself. As it was, she felt unresolved, bereft of closure. Deep inside, she wanted them to hurt, all of them. The cylons had done this to her and her people, they deserved whatever she could deal them.

~~~~~~~~ Water ~~~~

Coming awake, a deep seeded ache spread through out his chest and Felix knew pain. Flexing the damaged muscles, he grit his teeth. It would hurt anyways, this way the ache would be from healing instead of atrophy. Not knowing how long he had been out, he reached up to rub at his chin. There was stubble, but also cuts, whoever had shaved him wasn't used to his face.

He tried to sit up, but the stitching across his shoulder forced him to remain flat until the twinging passed. When they had, he gently pulled himself up in to a sitting position on the gurney. After that was accomplished, he let his body rest once more and looked around. Through the clear curtains that cordoned off his bed from the rest of the infirmary, he saw a few people milling about as a nurse looked over them.

There were surprisingly few people in the infirmary from what he remembered. They had been engaged in a battle at that point, which they obviously had survived. Since there wasn't a guard about, either they hadn't expected him to live or he wasn't under arrest. But they would have many questions.

Bracing himself, Felix decided to put his mind in order. He knew the time would come very soon when he had to answer them. It wouldn't do to get things wrong and they be able to call him on it. Thankfully, he had two years to prepare for this day. All he needed to do was update his prepared responses.

The one question he knew they would ask he didn't feel comfortable answer was probably the worst. Why hadn't he told anyone? His answer to that one might not go over too well. People tended to only hear the worst part of an explanation and judge you upon that. So, in it's stead, he came up with the half answer. "Because I had no proof. When I tried telling the nursing staff they sedated me and put me in restraints claiming I was delusional. Which precludes my main reason, because I didn't think they deserved to know."

"Deserved to know what?" Marking down information on his chart, Cottle sighed with disgust at the appearance of his patient. "You are not supposed to be sitting up."

"So have me thrown in the brig." Waving it off, Felix yawned. "Give it to me straight, doc, am I going to ever get my game back?"

"You're lucky to still have that arm. If it weren't for a healthier than average immune system, you should be dead." After setting the chart down on the beside table, Cottle took Felix's injured shoulder in hand and raised the arm. He ignored Felix's wince as he moved it about. "Astounding the way the human body works. If I didn't know better, I would say three weeks ago you had been shot."

"You mean I dreamed that?" Felix chuckled. It was a bad situation, but he had survived worse. "What's the status of the ship?"

"Too damned many whiny babies. If I have to treat another person for stressed induced insomnia I'm going to start prescribing knocks to the head." Releasing Felix, Cottle struck a match and lit his cigarette. Blowing smoke away from his patient, he ignored the scowl Felix shot him. "I've ordered a new set of screens on your blood, there seems to be a few anomalies that I can't account for at this time and no time to figure out why. Perhaps Baltar can have better luck, with all that crap you've been working on, he seems to think he has the answer to everything."

"Believe me, I'd rather not have it." Felix had known distantly that they would find the research, but that Baltar was working with it shocked him. "What of it all? Am I to be arrested?"

"Better hope not, seems the going rate for being an enemy of the state these days is spacing." Cottle patted his leg in a humoring gesture. "The stitches come out tomorrow, hope you like pain." Walking away, he spewed smoke like a demon trying to scare his nurses.

"What kind of world have I woken to?" There was no response. Yawning again, Felix settled back down in his blankets. He could deal with them later. Rolling over on to his good side, he tugged the blankets over his bad shoulder and went to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

The second time he awoke it was to find the stool next to his gurney occupied. It wasn't the person he had hoped to see. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he gently moved so he could see her better. "What can I do for you, Madam President?"

"That's the first time you've called me that, now I know it's official." Smiling, she tried to feel levity, but ended up sighing. This was harder than she thought. "Were you ever going to tell us?"

"I told you." It was the truth, he could have tried harder, but he had told her. Suddenly looking away, he had to fight off a wave of dizziness. His stomach was upset, making him feel nauseous. "Humanity en mass is a vile creature, betwixt with corruption and disease at the core..."

"Don't quote philosophy at me! As far as many are concerned, you are just as guilty as the cylons." Laura had to rein in her temper, assaulting a bid ridden person was never a good thing. "But, I think, you are worse. You knew what was coming, and you chose to let it happen. You betrayed your own species."

"They aren't my species." Felix whispered the words mostly to himself, but he realized the president had heard him. Taking a deep breath, he faced her again, expression blank. "I'm not a cylon, but I'm not human either. I ceased being human a long time ago."

She sat, quiet. Honesty aside, she had no idea what to make of him. Upon realizing he wasn't going to speak, she decided to prod him. "What are you then?"

"A hand." Sitting up, he put the pain from his mind and reached out to grab her hand. "Turn it over, tell me what you see." Releasing her hand, he sat back in his bed.

On a whim, she complied. "I see my palm, four fingers and an opposable thumb."

"You aren't using your imagination." Flattening his hand and palm, he cut through the air first up, then down. Curling his fingers, Felix waved his hand to fan himself. "I am a hand."

"What does this have to do with your actions involving the cylons?" She wouldn't be distracted by his displays. He was trying to hide something and it wasn't going to stay that way.

"They deserved to die. Humanity's time has passed. God has decreed the Cylons will take their place. Is that what you want to hear?" Despite his words, his tone was plaintive. He hoped he was wrong, but he believed she had already made up her mind about him. This was just for her own curiosity's sake. "The line between cylon and human is thin. Your two cultures are radically different, but in the end, you're both just living organisms bent on self domination."

It took monumental effort not to scream at him. "Why did you do it?"

"My work was with reproductive technologies, it made me valuable to them. The principle of a perfect being being sterile hits a little too close to home for them. I gave them technology to help with their reproductive states in exchange for my life when they came to wipe out humanity. Enlightened self interest I believe it is called. They were going to win either way, you didn't stand a chance." When she rose from the stool, he almost felt a twinge of sympathy, but it quickly went away.

"Despite your efforts, I won't have you put to death. Instead, you are confined to my service. You will do what I tell you, Mr. Adama, when I tell you." Stalking away, she hoped it wasn't a mistake. There wasn't a good answer to his actions, but what he had told her contained a grain of truth.

In Dr. Cottle's office, Laura met with Commander Adama. His expression made her want something hard to drink. "He didn't betray us. He won't give a straight answer as to why, but I think he partially believes what he is telling me." Glancing out the door towards Felix's bed, she felt a chill sweep her. "You said we never asked why we deserved to live in your speech. I think he did."

"And?" Bill sincerely disliked being lead around by words and the people who wielded them.

"He didn't help either side. I'll leave you to draw your own conclusions." A final look to Felix, then she walked away.

~~~~~~~~Bastille Day~~~~

Tentatively, Lee walked in the infirmary. For the past three days since Felix had awakened, he had avoided going to visit him. It had hurt to stay away, but he had to be sure he wouldn't rebuke his husband for his actions. He wasn't going to blame Felix for the death of his mother and his friends. They were going to get through it together, even if they had to drag each other along by the hair.

All good sense fled at the sight of his husband. He had been expecting Felix to look at him with some emotion, any emotion. The blank face set something off in him like an explosion and sudden rage filled him. Lee had to hold himself back to keep from harming Felix. "You're alive."

"Who hit you?" Rising from his gurney, Felix eased himself to the deck. When Lee tried to withdraw from him, Felix's hands shot up to cup his bruised cheek. Gently, he probed at the tender flesh, letting his thumb caress the cheek.

"Why?" Sullen, he avoided looking at Felix's eyes.

"I'm going kill them." The line was delivered in such a sincere tone, Felix knew he meant it. His insides were knotted with the need to throw up and his sudden anger at seeing his husband harmed. Someone had hurt his husband and he intended to make an end of them. "Who hit you?"

"It's been taken care of." Lee winced when Felix embraced him. His sides were still sore from the fight aboard the Astral queen. "Why did you do it, Felix? You should have warned us, we deserved the right to fight!"

"You are alive when everyone else is dead. Do not ask any more." There was tense silence between them. Giving in to the need, Felix lowered his head to Lee's shoulder. It was the safest place in the universe to him, in Lee's arms all else ceased to be.

Slowly at first, Lee reluctantly raised his arms to wrap around his husband's body. When he was close, he finally noticed the tremors running through Felix. A sniff alerted him to the fact he was crying. "They're all gone."

Nodding, Felix struggled to compose himself, but being with Lee again released the last of his will power. He was lost to his emotions. Thankfully, Lee was there to hold him steady. "I love you."

Considering his emotions, Lee tried to summon up something through the anger and resentment. All he could achieve was cold numbness. Grabbing Felix by the arms, he forced him to take a step back. "I want to, but I don't think I can return it any more."

All feeling left him. Staring at his husband, Felix's world was immensely calm. Composing himself, he nodded. "Very well, Captain. I believe that since our relationship is now concluded, there is no point in delaying the inevitable." He backed completely out of Lee's arms. "You are dismissed back to your duties."

Nodding, Lee felt himself breathe easier. It shouldn't have been so, they were married. If the furies took him harder in hand, then not even that would remain. He was through the hatch in to the corridor before he even realized he had been walking. His duties could wait, he was too conflicted for the moment.

When someone put a hand on his shoulder, Felix shrugged it off. Rubbing at his still raw shoulder, he slid off the patient gown. Looking to a nurse, he signaled for her to come over. "Get me my clothes, please."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Four miners do not just die in an accident, I want to know how exactly the equipment failed so it doesn't happen again. Tell the forewoman that she is to halt all drilling with that standard until we find out the source." Entering her makeshift office on Colonial One, Laura handed a note to Billy. "Ensure this is sent to the Admiral, it is my authorization for the cessation of use of that standard."

"Yes, ma'am. Anything else?" Billy glanced up to see where he was going and promptly dropped his clip board.

Seeing the freaked expression on her aide, Laura turned to find out what had caused him to... "Good morning, Felix."

"Madam President." Rising from his chair in front the desk, Felix extended his good hand.

After a moment of hesitation, Laura accepted it. They shook twice before she withdrew. "What brings you to my ship?"

"Duty. You reserved my services, I hear and obey." He cast a quick glance to Billy, then dismissed him from thought. The boy was little more than an infant, Felix had no use for him. Switching his view back to Laura, he inclined his head. A few curls slipped out of his baret, but he left them. He would have to see what passed for a barber on the Galactica soon. "What shall I do for you today?"

"What an intimidating figure you are in that uniform." Her tone light, she enjoyed the smile he gave her teasing. There was too much seriousness in the recent times. "I assume Dr. Cottle gave you leave to go back to work."

"Dr. Cottle's opinion in that matter is that I am better without taking up a gurney in his infirmary. I am well enough to carry out my duties, you need not fear my competence." Four miners on the service of the ice planet below the fleet were proof of that. Not that anyone knew that, it was just something for himself, and Lee.

"Ah, well, there is nothing at the moment. I am currently addressing the lack of supplies in the fleet, which seems to be the only thing we have in abundance." She cast a look over her shoulder to Billy. "Well, get to it."

"Right! Right!" Bending over, he picked up his fallen clipboard and backed out of the cabin towards the front of Colonial One.

"Cute kid, but he needs to grow in to his body." Sitting down again, Felix unbuttoned the top of his uniform and the bottom three. His shoulder was protesting the movements, but he didn't care. "What did you learn at the doctors on Caprica?"

"You were right." Coming around her desk, she was about to take her seat, but noticed a jar in the chair. Frowning, she picked it up and examined it. Laura gasped. "Where did you find this?"

"There is an Oracle among the fleet. She carries more than enough to spare." Felix frowned. He didn't like to think about Chamalla, he knew there was still enough in his system to pose a risk if he imbibed any intoxicant. "Doctor Cottle mentioned to a nurse that someone requested Chamalla. There is only really one reason for it and the secrecy he put behind the request."

"I see." Once again, she was reminded of why she missed him as her aide. She had someone to fill that role now, he wasn't as good as Felix, but there were other issues to consider. Putting the jar on her desk, she sat down in the chair and leaned over it. "I have no official duties for you right now. The Galactica is handling security, but I am sure they could use your skills. The sooner we can establish something akin to normalcy among the fleet, the better our people will feel."

"I understand. My recommendation is to secure outside security personnel for them. A Civilian Authority would not go remiss. While the military is there to protect them, they will only grow to fear and resent your administration if you continue to use them as a police force." He started to lean back in his chair, but winced and switched sides.

"How will we pay them? Currency at the moment is basically worthless. Most people are bartering away what they carry faster than we can inventory it. Those with the most to hand out are hording." Placing her head in her hands, she rubbed at her forehead. Her eyes closed, just wanting it all to go away for a few days. "Most of the ships have little to no room to spare, what people are on them are packed in like sardines. They never intended to support so many people in such a little space. I can't imagine how far we must go before we will have room to stretch our legs. This all just seems so hopeless right now."

"The right path always feels that way, it's why so many people fail. Their own anxiety and fears weigh heavier than the actual task and crushes their spirit." Taking a moment to breathe through his gritted teeth, Felix rubbed at his shoulder. The last spasm had been particularly painful.

Raising her head at the sound, she stared at him confusion. Watching his movements made her realize just how serious his condition had been. "Take the time off and recover while you can. Go back to Galactica and your husband."

"I no longer have a husband." Felix waved off her expression with an unconcerned gesture. "He blamed me for Caroline's death. I told him I loved him, he said he can't return it. We both agreed it's over."

That gave her pause and took her mind away from her duties. Her own resentment towards him flared, but she forced her way through it. There was no point to it. "What exactly was the extent of your involvement?"

"I gave them access to forbidden research." Again, he seemed aloof from his response. The only tell that he felt something was the way he finished speaking by closing his mouth and exhaling through his nose. Shrugging, he looked out through the port holes.

"So they would spare your life?" Her tone was sardonic. She knew when he was lying to her, he tried too hard to make it believable.

"Basically, yes." That was all she was going to get out of him on the subject. Picking at his uniform, he let the muscles in his shoulder relax. "You should consider my idea about a Civilian Authority. It gives legitimacy to your government, and if it is comprised of civilians, grounds it in reality to them that they still have a say."

"I'll give it some thought." He had lied to her about his reason, that Laura knew. They held something over him, or more likely, offered him something he desperately wanted. What would they have had that he wanted? The thought was as troubling as it was puzzling. If they did it once, they could do it again. "I'll have Billy set aside a bed for you here onboard Colonial One. I want you to get some rest and ready to talk tomorrow."

"You should try that yourself." Rising from his chair, Felix left her to attend her works.

~~~~~~~~ Act of Contrition ~~~

If it wasn't one thing, it was another. Rubbing his forehead, Felix pushed his curls out of his eyes. He really needed to get them cut back. He had woken reaching out for Lee in a bed too small to hold him and his husband, nearly falling out in his actions. There had been no reason for it in his mind, he knew Lee was gone, therefore he should have accepted it.

Now, they had a problem with pilots aboard the Galactica, or so the rumors had said. Word went out since he had gone to bed the night before, three dead and eight out of commission for the time being. They needed experienced hands to man the Vipers. He had overheard the announcement over the intercomm, had he been asleep it would have awakened him.

When he had confirmed none of them had been Lee, he debated coming them just to check on him. There was really nothing he could do, it would really be for his own sake. Lee had made it clear he didn't feel any thing for him but contempt. It was done, their marriage was over with even if only in spirit.

Pulling up the blanket, Felix rolled over and went back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~~

When next he woke, Felix wasn't really interested in what was being said around him. People were talking, they always did, always would. From what he could make out, they were excited. One of them had gone off to the Galactica and hadn't been rejected. They were happy about that?

Snorting, Felix rolled on to his back in the bed and stretched. His shoulder barely twinged when he eased it through the exercises. When he tried to sit up, the room spun and he had to clutch at the side of the bed to keep himself sitting. As it was, it took all his will power to keep from throwing up. Apparently, whatever drugs Cottle had been giving him to fight off the nausea were out of his system.

Clutching his stomach, Felix used the wall at the head of his bed to ease himself up. He took a minute to let his stomach adjust to the new height before he stumbled to the bathroom. There were twenty people sharing it so he couldn't expect to have privacy for long. Despite his best efforts, Felix spit up bile in to the toilet before his stomach settled down.

After washing off in the shower, he dried quickly and left the towel in the hamper along the wall outside the bathroom. He patted barefoot along the deck towards his bed and subsequently his chest. In the chest were four clean Inspector General's uniforms and two regulars sets of clothes. He opted for the Inspector General's uniform.

As he started to button his pants, he noticed they were tighter than before. Frowning, he sucked in his stomach, closed the button, and zipped up. It was a small thing he would have to work at. His waist line expanding wasn't the end of the world, just a side effect of the end of the world. Snorting, Felix glanced down. He realized he had been rubbing the waist band of his pants. The material felt like his old uniform and that reminded him of Lee.

After he put the uniform jacket on, Felix buttoned it up and grabbed his baret off the handle at the foot of the bed. If he jerked the handle, the bed would squeeze up like an accordion. As amusing as it would be to try out on a few of the room's other occupants, Felix decided Roslin needed him more.

After swallowing back an attempt by his stomach to escape through his throat, Felix walked to the stairs that lead up to the passenger cabins on the main deck. He came out of the stairwell to find a uniformed man. He vaguely recognized the uniform as one of the colonial passenger fleets. The man was leaning aggressively over Roslin's desk, facing her down. With barely a thought to the action, he jerked the man by the back of his uniform and forcefully sat him down in his seat.

"Wha..." Captain Ulero was strangled by the front of his own uniform. Tugging at his jacket, he tried to get air. When he was pulled in to the chair, he gasped for breath and turned to look who had attacked him.

Hands behind his back, Felix stared down at the man impassively. "Keep your distance from the president, I won't tell you again."

"Thank you, Major Adama, but that won't be necessary. The captain was just telling me of the needs of his passengers." Internally, Laura was pleased by his actions. None of her so called guards were apparently inclined to do anything until the man was actually taking action. Hostile speech and mannerisms weren't enough. She would have to speak with their captain. "Captain Ulero, I understand your concern, we all do, but the fact is until we can locate more space, your passengers will simply have to learn to accept the fact that there is no room to exercise."

"They're a Pyramid Team! They require a certain amount of physical effort or they risk endangering their health." Voice horse, Ulero winced at his croaking sounds.

Grinning, Felix put a hand on the captain's shoulder to let him know he was veering over the line in his tone. "A Pyramid Team? Excellent, then they are use to following orders and working together. If they can keep their more violent instincts under control they would make natural police officers. What do you think, Madam President?"

This time Laura didn't try to hide her smile. "I see you aren't about to let this go."

"A good idea is worth the effort." Letting it settle between them, he inclined his head.

"Very well, we'll see what comes of it, Mr. Adama. Captain Ulero, is that all or do you have another request?" When he shook his head in denial, Laura rose from her behind her desk. "If you will follow Billy, he will escort you back to your transport. Once you get back to your ship, ask those among your passengers who would join the new Civilian Authority and get back to me over the wireless. Thank you."

Confused, Captain Ulero rose from his chair. He was quietly relieved when Felix backed away from him. Moving as fast as decorum allowed, he followed Billy out of the President's office.

"Felix, if you will hold a minute." Coming round her desk, Laura leaned back against it. She waited until he was near before taking off her glasses. "Commander Adama commed us, he would like to speak to you at your earliest convenience. Also, Dr. Cottle would like to draw blood again, your last sample was contaminated."

"Do you have any more interviews today?" At the shake of her head, Felix sighed. He didn't want to go over to the Galactica. If there was no way around it, he supposed he had no choice. "When do I leave?"

"There is a Raptor waiting in the hangar bay." She nodded in response to his salute. A small knot in her chest eased as he left the room. Still something about him set her nerves on edge even after all this time. Dismissing it while Billy came back in, she put her mind to more important things. "Tell the captain of the Denueo I want a real manifest this time, we are a fleet, there will be no hoarding. That is a presidential order."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nervously holding her helmet, Boomer watched the deck crew. They were fixing a conduit leading to the spacial doors. What bothered her wasn't what they were doing, but who her passenger was going to be. She had heard rumor about the man she was transporting and it upset her greatly. Everyone knew he was Captain Adama's husband, but they weren't together any more because of reasons they refused to talk about. Unofficially, he was involved with the cylons and knew of those who were human in appearance.

Having her own problems, Boomer didn't need a traitor poking his nose in her business, giving rise to her own fears. She could accuse herself of problems enough, thank you very much.

Her first sight of the man, she instantly knew who he was. The intimidating air he gave off in his current dress and demeanor had gave the deck crew pause to gawk at him. From what she knew of Lee, Felix fit the bill of someone she thought he might be attracted to. As he came to stand beside him, she stood at attention and saluted him. "Hello, Major, I am your pilot, Lieutenant Boomer."

Returning the salute, Felix gestured to her craft. "Permission to come aboard, Lieutenant."

"Granted. Welcome aboard, sir." She proceeded him up the ramp and in to the Raptor. Putting on her helmet, she locked it in place and strapped herself in her seat. Moving on autopilot, Boomer forced her mind not to linger on his uniform. The Inspector General's uniform never appeared under happy circumstances in military experience.

Taking the co-pilot's chair in the back, Felix strapped himself in. Pulling on a headset, he activated it. "Ready for flight, Boomer." It had been over a year since he was last in a Raptor, but to him almost nothing had changed. So much for advanced military hardware.

Sighing with relief that he hadn't even looked at her funny, Boomer powered up the Raptor's controls. "Engines are active. Opening Hangar doors."

"The hangar is clear. We are go." Casting a glance towards her straight back, Felix watched her with barely restrained disgust. She was one of them, one of Lee's people. He hadn't expected to feel so bitter, but the sight of her uniform set him on edge. What right had she to wear that uniform and not he?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Instead of delaying like he wanted, Felix made his way to Commander Adama's personal quarters. There was no way in hell he was going back to the CIC. What nausea he woke with had abated, but there was need to test his nerves. Fighting back the urge to run, he stalked down the last corridor to the Commander's hatch. Nodding to the guard, he rapped on the door.

"Enter." Tense, Bill was busy reading over old files when he caught sight of his visitor. "What do you want?"

"You requested to talk to me. As far as I am concerned, we have nothing to say to one another." He knew he was being petty, but who cared. The man was an asshole of the first kind.

Biting back his rebuke, Adama nodded. He gestured to the seat across from him at the desk, but wasn't surprised when Felix made no effort to take it. "They said you were the most promising officer they had seen at the academy for decades."

"I didn't hold promise, I was best, period." There was no need for modesty. Of seven in his class, he was the top. "That was your loss, Commander. Is that all?"

"No, that is not all!" Jaw tight, he glared at the man through his glasses. He knew if he stood, there would be a physical fight. Time for a different approach. "I can see why he likes you. Your animosity matches his own."

"Surpasses, I would say. He's your son, he feels an obligation to you, I hold no such ties." If the old man was trying to make amends between them, Felix would walk out right now. He didn't want anything from him, the old bastard had everything he was going to get. Holding his head higher, he refused to even look at the Commander. "In the end, he chose you over me, that makes me hate you all the more."

"Do you hate us that much, Major?" He knew that Felix held only a field rank as Major due to his experience and political connections, but decided it kept them formal enough to be comfortable.

It took Felix a moment to realize he wasn't talking about him and Lee, but humanity in general. Biting the inside of his lip, Felix considered the question for a long time. After a while, he had to nod.

"What experience could be so heinous that you would turn against your own kind? You were an officer on a battlestar, they gave you glowing reviews across the board. Nothing ever indicated this might happen." Taking a calming breath, Adama looked down to his hands. They were wrapped around the photo of him and his boys. His boys looked so happy there. "Why?"

"They never betrayed me." Hands clenched, chest puffed up in rage, Felix longed to grab the nearest object and beat the commander with it. He took a step towards the unaware man, just grab the book and he could do it. It was a thick volume, it would be hard and heavy in the swing. Pulling himself up short, he veered off with visible effort. Felix quickly turned his back on Adama.

Gasping from the effort, Felix rubbed at his stomach. Something was wrong with him, he never lost control like this. His emotions were kept firmly in control where they needed to be. Ever since he had boarded the cursed ship four weeks ago, everything had been a wreck.

Suddenly brought to tears from the fear of losing control, Felix put a hand to his mouth to stifle a whimper. He wasn't going to lose in this bastard's presence. Wrapping his arms around himself, he longed to be with Lee. His husband would know what to do, he knew how to bring Felix out of these funks. Realizing that wouldn't be happening, Felix let out horse sob.

Raising his head, Adama was alarmed at how close the man had gotten while he was lost in his revelry. He was about to speak when he noticed Felix's posture and the way he swayed slightly. Felix was crying and trying to comfort himself. What the hell was happening with the man, had he finally snapped?

Wiping his face with one hand, Felix inhaled to clear his nose. "Is that what you wanted to know, sir?" He refused to look at the Commander. Who knew what other emotion might come up next and overwhelm him?

"Actually, I wanted to speak with you about Zak." It pained him to say it, but he need to clear his conscious. "I was wrong to do what I did to you. Zak was a hothead and I over reacted."

Dead emotionally, Felix ignored the tears that slid down his face. "Too late, Commander." Without another word, he walked out of the cabin and slammed the door shut.

Straightening his posture, Felix grunted to clear his throat. He wasn't going to put on a show for the bastard's benefit. There was one last appointment to make on the Galactica then he could go back to his duties on Colonial One.

On the wall beside him, the handset buzzed twice. Picking it up, Adama placed it to his ear. "Report."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baltar was near hysterical at his console. There were so many samples from the Galactica alone, he was beside himself. He would never get all the work done, it would take decades to scan them all. Whatever cylons there were among the crew, he would certainly die at their hands long before he could identify them. Rubbing at his forehead, he tried to stave off a headache.

The hatch along the wall opened and Felix marched in. Already rolling up his sleeve, he was in no mood to dither about. "Cottle sent me here. Take your sample and be done with it, doctor."

Seeing Felix, Gaius finally cracked up. Chuckling to himself, he felt the tension leave. "Oh thank the gods, I was beginning to think I had imagined you. Been so long since I saw anyone not... That doesn't matter, how do you feel, Felix?"

Felix felt for the man, he really did. He was a fool, but he should be pitied for it, not hated. Holding up his arm, he flexed the muscle. "I am well, I'll be even better once you finish taking the sample."

"What? Oh, right! Please come over here and take a seat, this won't take but a moment." Smiling, Gaius snapped on a fresh pair of gloves and retrieved a new vial and needle set. Putting them down on the lab table next to Felix. Next, he came about with a sterile rubbing pad and swabbed the area. Finally, he inserted the needle and took his sample. "There, that wasn't too bad."

Rubbing at his arm where Gaius placed the cotton ball to soak up the blood from the puncture, Felix frowned. "I really hate doing that."

"So do I, but it seems to be my new lot in life, a lab technician checking blood samples for cylons." Actually happy, Gaius pulled up a seat next to Felix. He couldn't deny the obvious joy the other man's presence brought him. "So, tell me, what do you do now? I know it's only been a few days since you awoke, but, there has to be something different out there."

"I am as I was, the President's aide. We are martialing a police force to provide a Civilian Authority. Crews and captains alike are fighting, each demanding they have precedence over her authority." Despite the suddenness of it, Felix liked being able to talk to Baltar. He found himself relaxed and willing to chat. "What has been going on here?"

Pretending nonchalance, Gaius leaned back against the lab table on his elbows. "There isn't much to tell. Military types and all, not a lot of room for them to just be human for a while."

Felix nodded. He had been one of them types, but took no offense. Having lived as a civilian for three years, he understood what Gaius meant. "Anyone new in your life?"

"Always." It took all his resolve not to react to the appearance of Six on the table across from him. He tracked her with his eyes as she uncrossed her legs and her skirt rode up just so much... Eyes turning to Felix, he grinned brilliantly. "While not on duty, some of these military women can be quite, shall we say, enthusiastic."

"Lee is, was." After correcting himself, Felix looked down at his arm where Gaius' hand rested. "It doesn't matter. I am sure everyone knows by now. He couldn't handle my involvement with the cylons, so I told him it was over."

"It's a shame really, after all he did for that human only to end up like this." Sympathy clearly upon her face, Six slid off the table. Coming around Felix, she tilted her head to study him. "He won't be alone for long, God has seen to that."

Choking on his own saliva, Gaius gasped for breath. He waved off Felix's helping hand and shook his head. "Just a hair, in my throat, nothing to worry about." Red faced from the strain, he set about wheezing his way back to normal breathing.

Reluctantly, Felix rose from his stool. "I should let you get back to your work. I am sure you are plenty busy considering the number of people aboard, let alone in the fleet."

"Oh, no! There is no putting out, I enjoy the respite from my work." Much to his dismay, it was the most fun he had had in too long. To be truthful to himself, Gaius hadn't enjoyed himself since the fall of the colonies. "If you feel guilty, you can assist me."

At that Felix laughed. He wasn't sad here and barely thought of Lee. It was something he liked doing and was good at. Roslin could wait for a while, she was hard pressed to find anything for him to do as it was. "All right, where do I suit up?"

"There is an extra smock in the locker by the door. Just wash up in the sink and put on your gloves." When Felix turned to do as instructed, Gaius smirked at Six. Her pout made him hard as a brick in his pants and he yearned to work out the stiffness.

Pulling on the smock, Felix had time to think about why he was there. "Gaius, you examined my last blood sample, right?"

"Yes, why?" Barely distracted from her breasts, Gaius watched Six bare them slowly.

"I'm curious." Felix picked the soap bar to wash his hands with instead of the liquid from habit. "What was it contaminated with?"

"I'm not sure. There were an... ah!" He gasped as Six let her dress drop. "Female hormones! Yes, lots of them, not right in the male blood stream." Caught up in her tease, he didn't see Felix stop and frown. "If I wasn't certain it was a mistake, I would say you were pregnant! The mere thought... Oh! It's ludicrous!"

Felix dropped the soap bar in the sink. Glancing over at Gaius, he noticed the man had his hand down his pants and his eyes closed. Clearing his throat, he blushed furiously and turned back to washing his hands. After picking up the soap, he rinsed off and used the towel to dry his hands.

The throat clearing bringing him back to reality, Gaius sighed in disappointment. Six was such a frakking tease. "Shall we get to work?"

"Yes." A little shaky, Felix donned a pair of gloves and began setting up a separate work station. Among the supplies, he pulled out the white strips and chemical sets to do right tests. When he had them right, he mixed them in a sample container and slipped it in to his smock. "Um, I need to use the head, I'll be right back."

"If you must." Despite his words, Gaius grinned at Felix. "But come right back, now that I have you, I'm not letting you go."

Felix forced the smile and left.

~~~~~~~~~~

Bent over the toilet again, Felix retched for the tenth time. His stomach and throat muscles hurt from the effort and he felt exhausted. Looking up, his eyes caught the purple urine in the sample container and nearly puked again. 'It couldn't be real, there had to be a mistake,' were his first thoughts. His next ones were more accusing. "What have they done to me?"

Reaching down to cup at his stomach, Felix frowned. He knew something was in there. Now that he was conscious of it, there was no denying he was packing extra mass. Felix didn't know what to make of it.

He was pregnant.

Dumping the sample down the toilet, he flushed it and the puke. It was disgusting to him and he wanted no part of it any longer. Throwing the sample container in the trash, he washed his hands, face, and neck carefully to rid any excess. No one would know he was ill, or was with child as the case may be. If they knew, he would be dead, there was too much paranoia in the fleet for him to risk it.

After he wiped the back of his neck with a wet towel one last time, he dried his hands and face. He would be fine, he could survive this. Reaching in to the pocket of his smock, he pulled out the vial of his blood. He had taken it while Gaius was distracted and was now glad of it. After he unstoppered it, he dumped it in the sink and rinsed it out. He placed the empty vial in the trash halfway down to cover its presence.

A quick check of himself in the mirror, then Felix was out the hatch to get back to work.

Unnoticed by him, Dualla lowered her feet in her stall. Frowning, she tried to think who she should tell about Felix being sick. She hadn't seen what he was doing, but she heard enough to know he was violently ill. At the very least, Captain Apollo had to be told.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time Felix and Gaius emerged from the laboratory, they were stretching and yawning, and half starved. One look about the deserted halls and they were grateful. After hours of constant work, they cared very little for human company. By mutual agreement, they headed to the messhall for something to eat. Then they would stop off in Gaius' bunk to rest since he had a spare bed.

Stretching his back, Felix felt several of his joints pop. "Oh, that felt good."

"I completely agree." After his own stretch, Gaius plodded down the deck, taking the lead. For the first time, he didn't feel out of place on the Galactica. It was actually kind of peaceful, for a change. May be it was the lack of military uniforms in sight.

After they round a corner, Felix felt his peaceful malaise evaporate with the arrival of other people. There were dozens of crewmen in the messhall, more than he thought there should have been at that time of day. It wasn't fair. Ignoring the stares he received, he walked up to the chow line and grabbed a tray.

The looks didn't go unnoticed by Gaius. He had received his share of them weeks ago, but now they either ignored him or welcomed him. This was different, most were down right hostile, but all were aimed at his companion. Sticking close to Felix, he decided not to leave the man alone. These were fighters, who knew what kind of shit they would try.

One scowl at the serving staff from Felix stopped any and all actions. They quickly served him just to get him away. Taking his meal, he walked over to a table that quickly emptied and sat down. He didn't want their company anyways. Noisy gnats, they needed to be swatted.

Gaius took his lead and ate in relative silence. There were a few times he started to say something, but Felix's look kept him quiet. It wasn't worth alienating his only friend on the ship just to relieve the tension among morons. They finished together and he dumped his tray in the trash before returning it to the dishes. When he saw the staff toss their trays in the trash instead of the washer, he almost said something, but was beaten to the punch.

In a fit of anger, Felix picked up a clean tray and threw it like a disk at the man who was responsible. It caught him in the head and the man sank like a dead weight. Spinning on the instantly silent messhall, Felix grabbed another tray. "Anyone else want to frak with me?"

One marine started to rise, but the tray clipped him between the eyes and he fell back in his seat.

Felix had another tray up ready to take out the next brave soul. He was disappointed when everyone remained in their seats. His anger not abated, he brought the metal tray down on the edge of the washer counter, snapping it in half. Several people behind him slid their chairs back and flinched when he glared at them. "It's no wonder they won, you're all a bunch of cowards!"

"Better than a traitor!" The messhall grew even more quiet.

A smirk grew on Felix's face. "Whatever helps you sleep when you're alone, pissing your bunk in fear." Tossing the ragged edges of his tray in the trash, Felix stalked out of the messhall like he was the reigning champion.

Sullenly, Gaius followed after. They were going start glaring at him again either way, he might as well do something to earn this time.

For a while after, the messhall remained silent.

~~~~ You Can't Go Home Again ~~~~

Rubbing his forehead, Commander Adama read over the sensor report. So far all scans had turned up negative for Starbuck's crashed fighter. Now, to top it off, Lee's husband was causing a rukus on his ship. Certainly, it wasn't without provocation, but he had gone too far. Whatever it was that bothered him, there was no excuse for his sudden bouts of emotional outbursts. He would have to consult Doc Cottle to get a better diagnosis before he did anything about it.

Lee would object to whatever he did, that much he knew. That was one of the reasons he was waiting. His decision would be taken better through Lee than from anyone else. Another added benefit would be that Lee might actually have to face his mistakes head-on for once and take responsibility for them alone. He needed to refocus his world on his own mistakes.

Putting aside the report, he picked up Felix's personnel folder. He had updated it with information he had secretly obtained from the president's personal files. Whoever had assembled it was good enough to point in the general direction of where the bodies were buried. They had also ammended them to account for Felix's cylon involvement, and built upon that.

He would have to send the president a bottle of ambrosia for them.

There were hinted at personal motives that might or might not have led to blackmail on the part of the cylons. Obviously he was important to them, possibly enough to spare when the rest of humanity was wiped out. How and why weren't exactly clear. A single line gave him clue that the cylons needed him to work on their genetics. But for a synthetic being to exist in such a perfect replication of humanity negated anything he could think of. Not even what he had seen of the research could come close to their level of sophistication.

Then again, may be what they lacked was on a fundamental level. May be they were too advanced in their own design to realize where they went wrong. So, why were they trying to reproduce with the human models? He would think the human models would be the last ones they would try creating more of, since they obviously hated the originals so much. It was very confusing and unfortunately, given the circumstances, there was only one way to find out.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Gripping the metal pen between his fingers to keep from yelling, Felix refused to look at the commander. They were in his quarters and the commander was trying to interrogate him. "One question, and then I'll leave."

"One question, depending upon your answer, I will consider dismissing you." Watching the man over his desk, he reworded the question he had been formulating for the past half hour. It was a good distraction to keep his mind off the search, one that was too good. More than once he had completely forgotten about Kara. "You said the cylons were interested in reproduction. To what purpose?"

Sighing, Felix physically felt his relief. "They learned almost everything they are from us, right down to the basic principles of life. Self propagation is one of those. They can make more cylons, but everyone is just another clone of the original. To truly become a living being, their replication must produce a wholly unique offspring." Unthinking, his hand went to his gut.

Adama noticed the gesture, but thought nothing of it. "So what you are saying is that they suffer from a neurotic maternal instinct?" He couldn't keep the smile off his face.

"Partially, yes. As for why they did what they did, sir, I can only guess. My understanding is that it was combination of events leading to the belief that we're too great a threat to keep alive. This mating instinct was just a symptom of their ever evolving sense of awareness. Preservation of the self becomes preservation of the species." Felix could tell from the annoyed look on the Commander's face what exactly he thought about a process Baltar had found fascinating.

"How far did they get in their...efforts?" He wasn't going to come right out and ask if he should be looking for baby cylons.

"I happen to know they got pretty far." Realizing he was stroking the front of his uniform, Felix tried to make it look like he was scratching his stomach then dropped the hand to his side. It was becoming a dangerous habit. If he kept up, they would soon become suspicious.

Fine, so he would ask. "Should I alert my XO to keep an eye out for red eyed babies?"

"Don't discount the theory as a joke, Commander. They may be closer than you think. Am I free to go?" Felix had to get out of there before he completely lost it.

Sitting back, Adama considered him for a moment before nodding. The young man was obviously hiding something. At least he hadn't exploded, then again, the bent metal pen in Felix's hand probably had a lot to do with that. Smiling as the younger man left, he felt a little better.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hands shaking, Felix ran them through his freed hair. Heart racing, he tried to slow it down by taking deep breaths. All his actions were symptoms of an oncoming panic attack and he was desperately trying to avert it. His emotions were so clearly off the mark that he was actually started to get scared. Forcing his body to slow down, Felix admitted to himself he would need help. He couldn't take nine months of this.

Easing himself from against the bulkhead, Felix put back on his baret. After a second thought, he took it off then stuffed it in the pocket of his uniform. He didn't need any more distractions and a tight hat would prove just that. Ignoring the few looks he got as he walked, he moved determinedly towards the infirmary. Only one person he knew of could help get him through this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Fan-fraking-tastic." Dead pan monotone, that was his least favorite voice. In his initial shock, Cottle had dropped his cigar and the imaging wand. Having recovered the wand, he was sadly disappointed that the cigar was stomped on in his bumbling and thus irretrievable. Stilling himself, he glanced from the screen to Felix. "There is no doubt, young man, you are indeed pregnant. I certainly hope your husband is the father."

Feeling light headed, Felix began to giggle. It was frakking real. While he was unable to see the screen, he could tell from Cottle's reaction. Hands shaking, he reached out to knock the wand away from his gel covered stomach. It was still his body for a little while longer and he wanted some dignity. Sitting up, he pulled closed his shirt.

He became aware he had lost against the tears when Cottle handed him a cloth. Wiping off his face, then his stomach, he looked down. "What am I going to do? I'm not even sure this thing is human."

"A quick genetic panel should prove if the fetus is yours biologically. There are several options open to you at this point in development. The further along this thing grows, the higher your risk." For the most part, Cottle was going to treat this as if he was talking to one of his female patients. The alternative was just too damned mind boggling to contemplate at the moment. "You are under no obligation to carry it to full term."

"You can take it out of me?" Head shooting up in hope, Felix watched Cottle nod and felt himself relax. Opening his shirt again, he bared the slight swelling of flesh. "Get it out of me, now!"

"No way in hell. For starters, you're mentally unstable and likely facing a dangerous chemical imbalance. We have to diagnose such conditions and treat them before we can even begin considering you for surgery." Lighting up his spare, Cottle sucked on the cigar to get the sour taste of bile out of his throat. "You have enough medical training to know this. Get your head straight, then we'll discuss taking that bun out of your oven." Another thing he wasn't going to tell him was that he wasn't quite sure they could even do it safely considering the designers.

Felix took a moment to compose himself best he could. After, he rolled up his sleeve. "I suppose you might want to take another sample. After Baltar let slip what the contaminants in my blood were, I stole the sample he took and disposed of it."

"That might be a problem." As he inserted the needle and filled a vial with blood, Cottle shook his head. Things just weren't what they used to be. "Until we are sure you are settled, you are off active duty. If the rumors of your activities are true, you aren't taking this very well and I don't trust you with anything vital. If you want, I can give you a mild sedative to help keep you calm."

"I believe it is necessary. My emotions have become unstable and I..." Raising his head, he was determined not to let his emotions best him again. "I have become a threat to the crew and fleet. I will abide by your decision and agree with it. If you feel it is necessary, you have my permission to inform the Commander and the President, but not Lee. I mean, Captain Apollo."

"Sounds reasonable." Wiping off Felix's arm, Cottle pocketed the vial just in case Felix decided to dispose of the evidence again. "I'll take a look at this personally, there are too many gossips on this ship for security in this matter. When I get back, I will draw a blood sample from the fetus, that way we can confirm it's paternity. In the mean while, I'll have a nurse bring the sedative, you will let her inject it without hassle. So just lay back and get comfortable."

Quietly, Felix did as he was told. For safety reasons, he fought to feel nothing. There was no point in being angry, he had wanted this and needed it. By the time the nurse came around, he was ready to bite his own arm off.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taking a step back from Kara to give her Nuggets a chance to talk with her, Lee looked around the infirmary for the first time since coming in. He noticed there was only one other occupied divider, and there was a lot of equipment around it. Curious, he walked slowly towards it as not to attract attention to himself. Ten feet away he recognized two of the voices, one belonged to Cottle, the other.

"The results are conclusive, the fetus is completely human." Closing the chart, Cottle felt like lighting up again, but the calm demeanor in his patient didn't unsettle him enough to require it. Besides, if Felix decided to keep it, then the baby would be harmed by it. "The only question now is, do you wish to keep it or shall I remove it? There are complications involved either way, but you are sufficiently strong enough that keeping the fetus won't kill you. That handy organ they gave you also helps."

Felix was silent a long time. Staring down at his still flat stomach, he could barely make out where the growth was occurring. It would only grow larger as the weeks passed. He had something inside of him, something alien and unknown. "What kind of changes can I expect to my body?"

"I'm not exactly sure. Given the hormonal imbalance, you might soften in certain areas. Your facial hair might stop production or increase. Your hips will certainly widen, there is no getting passed that." He had to bite his lips over the last one. "There is a good chance you might develop breasts if you elect not to take the hormone supplements."

Eyes narrowed, Felix kept his back straight. "I will take them daily." There was no way in hell he was allowing his body to transform so drastically. It was already bad enough he was keeping the brat. Felix stopped dead in his mental tracks. Sure enough, he realized the moment he heard it was human he was keeping it. "Is it a boy or girl?"

"Boy. If you want to know who the parents are, you will have to do that yourself. Genetics isn't my field of expertise." He smiled to Felix, hoping it was reassuring. Being kind wasn't normal, he was a doctor, he fixed people up, not hold their hands. "If you feel different at all, you be sure to tell me. The supplements I gave you should counter act anything. Be sure to take the Dramamine, it will cut the effects of nausea. Oh, and eat regularly, it will keep the emotional flare ups to a minimal."

"I'll do that." Still not looking up, Felix only saw Cottle's shadow disappear to know that he was gone. Sliding his hand over the harden flesh of his stomach, Felix tried to imagine what his son would look like. It wasn't hard to summon up the face of a boy with Lee's eyes. "What if you are his son? Will you leave me too?" Rolling on to his side, Felix curled around his pillow.

Outside the curtained area, Cottle caught sight of Lee. Glaring at him until he walked away, the older man bit down on his cigar. So much for keeping the Captain in the dark. Now that he knew, Cottle had to tell the Commander and President right away or risk problems. "Damned nosey little boys."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Entering the lab, Laura was glad to see that Gaius wasn't in at the moment. She came around the lab top and leaned against it next to the working Felix. Crossing her arms, she waited until he looked up from the microscope before speaking. "I hear you've been busy. I thought you were going to stay out of the infirmary, not move to the Galactica to be closer."

Bone tired, Felix nodded as he rubbed his eyes. He had hoped that Cottle would handle it, apparently he was going to have to deal with himself. Blinking, he stared up at her. "There have been a few changes."

"I thought that was implicit in the message." Despite her pleasant demeanor, she was angry. She had kept him on her staff for a reason. "Will this interfere with your duty?"

"As Inspector General, no. I am still going over the applications for the police. When I get settled in here, I will invite the prospective candidates here for training. I am sure you can agree, Galactica has the resources and equipment to train them best." He waited for her to nod before he continued. "As far as my other roles in your staff, I am afraid my use will be limited because of my condition."

"Well, if you tell me, I am sure we can figure out a way to keep you in some capacity." She watched him glance back to his lab equipment as it beeped. "Does it have anything to do with the tests you are running here?"

"Yes. Madam President, will you witness and notarize this for me?" Reaching under a clipboard next to him, he pulled out a white trifolded bundle of papers. Pulling it open, he handed it to her.

A quick scan of the top sheet let Laura know what was going on with them. She cast a serious expression to him. "Are you certain?"

"It's what he wants and I could never tell him no." Taking the papers back with a shaking hand, he put them on the lab top and signed them. Handing them to her, he let her sign them and initial her notarized print. After he folded them back up and placed them under the clip board once more, he walked over to the machine that had beeped. Taking the laminate print out, he smiled. "Here goes nothing." With a tense smile, he held up the DNA profile to the light so he could examine it.

~~~~~~ Litmus ~~~~~~

Feeling slightly distanced from his body, Felix watched people run down the corridors to find something. They were searching corridors and hatches, quickly discarding it all. Nothing seemed to catch their eye and he didn't care enough to ask what it was. Continuing down the corridor, he came around to stand in a junction. In an almost dreamlike state, he turned to glance up the corridor and was nearly run down by a staggering Tigh.

"Watch where you're going!" Walking up the corridor, Tigh continued on undeterred by another person. It took him a moment, but he thought he recognized the person. "Hey, don't I know you?"

Coming up to stand beside Felix, Commander Adama was intending to speak with the younger man, but Tigh's actions caught his attention.

"He's a cylon." Facing away from the person Tigh had nearly run down, Felix pierced Adama with his stare. Calmer than he knew he should be, he spoke in an even tone that belied the urgency of the situation. "He's come to destroy the Galactica."

As the words came from Felix's mouth, the cylon slowly turned to display his jacket of bombs. "Very good, Gaeta." Raising the detonator, he smiled wickedly. "Good bye."

Grabbing Felix by the shoulders, Adama threw them in to a side hatch. Half a second later the corridor erupted in flames.

Landing on his back jolted Felix from his stupor. Crying out in pain, he clutched at the nearest object to stabilize himself.

Said object being Adama, he winced in pain from the fall and Felix's grip on his arm. He tried not to let it show, but the grunt revealed his pain. "Are you all right?"

"No." Groaning, Felix laid his head back on he deck. All around him the world swirled until he felt sick. "I think I bruised something in the fall." When the world went black, his breathing evened out.

"Major?" Frowning, Adama tried to pat Felix's cheek. When he didn't get a response, he climbed to his feet. He had to get a damage report and make sure Felix was taken to the infirmary.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Head in a bandage, Felix took a deep breath, hoping his pain killers would kick in soon. "As the only member of the Inspector General's office, it should be me who interrogates the witnesses. Sargent Hadrian is not fit or of sufficient rank to conduct the interviews. Nor does she have any law back ground."

"She is the Master-At-Arms for the Galactica, her posts ensures she is qualified. That will have to be enough." Turning away from the protesting man, Adama rubbed at his own scratched up cheek. In the ensuing fire, several beams had become over heated and buckled. He had been clipped by one falling and was lucky to have kept his head.

"Fine, but I reserve the right to sit in on all of her interrogations." Felix raised his head, trying to display a defiance to the Commander, but ended up falling back against his desk, dizzy. There were days he hated being pregnant more than others, today was one of them. "As the last of the Civilian Authority, it is my duty, Commander, to ensure that all goes smoothly in military and civilian relations."

Having observed the major's reactions, Bill knew that he wasn't going to be able to completely fulfill that obligation. He decided to let him try any ways. "All right. You may sit in, but do not interfere unless the Tribunal specifically instructs you to."

"Aye, sir." Rubbing at his forehead and back separately, Felix groaned. His body's center of gravity was slowly changing to adapt, and he was fighting to keep up. "This baby is going to be the death of me." It took him several moments to realize what he said. Opening one eye, he stared up at the Commander in apprehension.

"So, am I to be a grand father?" He knew from the relief on the other man's face it was the right thing to ask.

"Um, I suppose it couldn't hurt. The results came back this morning before the incident. It's why I was wondering dazed." Felix scratched his back. "I don't know how they did it, but yes, the next generation of Adamas is on the way. Before you say anything, no, Lee does not know, and I plan on keeping it that way."

Jaw clenching, Adama closed his eyes. "You are going to need help..."

"I have it. Dr. Cottle is providing me with the best of care considering the circumstances. As for raising my son, Lee isn't exactly qualified in these matters. Besides," he stood up, "Lee has his own hands full. I hear he and Kara are almost inseparable these days."

And Adama couldn't tell him how much that upset him. They were his children, it felt wrong that they should be so close. "You are still married."

"Yeah. About that, let me end the suspense before it kills someone. Lee issued the proceedings for divorce to me and Priestess Elosha three days ago. Seems he couldn't wait until after Starbuck was found to settle things." Sighing, he headed for the hatch on the Commander's quarters. "I signed them this morning before I got the results. As far as the spirit of the law, I did not know this was his child, therefore he has no legal claim of guardianship. Good day, Commander."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Felix was shaken awake by a warm hand on his shoulder. Blinking bleerily in confusion at the person, he tried to remember where he was. It took a moment, but when he recalled, he frowned. "Are they done?"

"It is done." Having spent the past five minutes watching the sleeping man, Commander Adama finally came to a decision. "I should have tried harder to keep you out of this. You are not physically fit yet for strenuous activity."

"I was fine until the Sargent started to prance and parade about like she was a peacock, which made me want fried peahen. When I get hungry, my blood pressure drops and I pass out." Wiping at the dried drool on his chin, Felix stretched. His shoulder barely hurt thanks to the medicine he was on. "What all did I miss?"

"Crewman Socinus is confined to the brig for the next two months, and so is Sargent Hadrian." He almost didn't tell Felix that part. He instantly regretted it the moment he saw triumph in Felix's eyes. Before he could say something, Felix slumped back down to the table. "Lieutenant, make sure the Major gets to the mess and eats something before he withers away on my deck."

The marine saluted him before walking around the table to help Felix to his feet.

~~~~~~~ Six Degrees of Separation ~~~~~

Standing in the mirror, Felix checked out his girth from the side view. He couldn't actually see it per say, but he felt it. Today, his uniform jacket would not fit. As far as he was concerned, his life was officially over. Tossing the jacket aside in his private quarters aboard the Galactica, he sighed. "Good bye, Major Adama, hello, Inspector Mom."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

Walking the corridors of the Galactica in a dress shirt he had borrowed from one of the larger passengers, Felix received more than a few odd stares. The only part of his uniform that still fit was the baret and he kept on wearing it. Out of necessity, he refused to have his uniforms altered. They didn't have the right material to do it for one thing, the other was he wanted to keep his uniforms in trust for after the baby.

His pants were an old stretch pair he had from his pack. He had retrieved them from Lee's quarters. That was one trip he refused to make again, his husband's... exhusband's quarters were a shrine to his past. Like father, like son, he guessed. At least Lee hadn't spaced his clothes while he lay unconscious in the infirmary.

Rounding the corner of the Command Deck, he came upon the CIC entrance and the marines who guarded it. He nodded at them in acknowledgement before waiting for the hatch to be opened. Felix mentally braced himself for a confrontation with his ex and his ex father in law before he stepped over the threshold. What he hadn't been prepared for was coming face to face with a cylon.

"...is a traitor, I have the proof!" Noticing she wasn't the center of attention any more, Shelly turned to see what they were looking at. A small smile twisted her lips. "Hello, Gaeta." Then she was on the deck, bleeding from a hole in her head.

Lowering the Marine guard's gun, Felix let him have it back and held up his hands. He tried to spit on the body, but was too far away. "Frakking bitch! Cylon whore! Tell them I'm coming for the rest of you too!" Shaking off the restraining arms of the marines, he glared at Six's body.

"Get him to the infirmary, quickly!"

Feeling his hands shake, Felix understood why the Commander had ordered it. As it was, he didn't make it two steps before he collapsed in to the nearest person's arms. Unfortunately, it wasn't a marine's. Glaring despite the fatigue, he tried to push Lee away from him. "Lemme go." His words slurred as his head fell back against Lee's shoulder. He really needed to learn to keep something sweet on hand.

Standing in the corner, eyes wide and pale, Gaius cast a glance to the presence hovering behind him. Six was still pissed at him, but she would get over it. "Well, I suppose, under the circumstances."

"You're free to go." Watching suspiciously, Roslin kept her reservations close at hand. She had been so close to believing the cylon a few seconds ago. It would have made a sick sense, but luckily for them, they had a trigger happy, hormonal madman running about. Speaking of which. Stopping by Adama on her way out, she whispered, "have Dr. Cottle increase his doses, this was too close for comfort."

"Agreed."

~~~~~~ Flesh and Bone ~~~~~~

Felix was fast asleep in his bunk when the handset rang. It was taking him a while to get used to the sound of it again. The last time he had been summoned by one had been years ago when he served on the Olympus. Rolling over, he rubbed at his eyes with one hand and picked up the handset with the other. "Adama."

"Major, the Commander and the President are requesting your presence in the wardroom immediately." The voice on the other end was young and female.

Felix knew it was the bookish comm officer just by her tone of voice. "Very well, tell them I will be there in five minutes." Hanging it up before she could reply, he sat up in bed. "This had better be good." Glancing down at his belly protruding from his night shirt, he frowned. He wasn't that big, yet every time he saw his stomach, it seemed to have grown. With a sound of disgust, he pulled on a dress shirt.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The wardroom was filled with people as he entered. Much to his consternation, his ex was the first person to notice his entrance. Ignoring Lee, Felix walked over to the Commander and President. Saluting her and him, he stood at attention. "What's the situation?"

Glancing up from the report in her hands, Roslin felt relief upon seeing Felix. "We have a cylon in our custody. He was caught three hours ago by the captain of the Geminon Traveler. The cylon was stowed away in the cargo hold. Our forces captured him, but not before he revealed there is a nuclear bomb planted some where in the fleet."

"Lieutenant Thrace has been interrogating him, but so far he has been unresponsive." Taking lead, Adama handed a folder to Felix. "Fifteen minutes ago he asked for you. Said he wouldn't talk again until he spoke with you."

Felix didn't like the accusation in Adama's voice, but decided to ignore it for now. "What kind of security do you have on him? If you don't have him restrained, you might as well space him now. I will refuse to speak to a cylon unless you can guarantee my safety."

"It's been taken care of. Kara will be in the room with a gun to his head just in case he tries something." Suppressing his natural instinct to snap at the young man, Adama leaned in close. "You and the baby will be as safe as possible. If we don't find that nuke soon, then I can't guarantee any thing."

Nodding, Felix read over what they knew so far in the report. "Understood, sir."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Stepping in to the interrogation chamber, Felix felt his stomach drop in to his feet. He had been expecting to see the smirking smart ass that was in the report. What he found instead was an almost jubilant expression on the cylon's face. "Hello, Mr. Conoy."

"Wonderful, God truly is magnificent!" Raising up his restrained wrists, he held out his hand, palm flat. "May I feel him?"

Casting a quick glance towards Kara and the marine, Felix felt his anger rise. If the cylon was trying to get himself killed, he was doing a fantastic job. "You will tell me where the bomb is and then you will be put out an air lock for our troubles. There will be no socializing, you will not attempt to struggle. The quality of your death from this point out is entirely up to you." Coming around the table, Felix set down a folder. "Now, where is the bomb?"

The humor drained from Leoben's face. Lowering his hands a little, he sat forward towards Felix. "Open your shirt and let me touch our miracle. God has chosen you, I would know his divine grace." This time, when he held up his hands, both of them were spread.

Closing his eyes, Felix unbuttoned the bottom three on his shirt and pulled the tails out of his pants. He ignored her as Kara cleared her throat in warning. Stepping in close, he flinched only a little under the gentle, probing touch.

Sliding his hands up over the swell of flesh, Leoben examined Felix's abdomen carefully. Tugging on his waist band, he pulled the man closer until he could press his ear to Felix's stomach. "His heart beat is strong. You are taking care of him and yourself."

"I am healthy, no thanks to your kind." He frowned as Leoben placed a kiss to his stomach. When he was released, he stepped back quickly. "Where is the bomb?"

Smiling rapturously, Leoben touched his cheek and lips. "There is no bomb. We would never endanger any of God's children."

"Thank you, that's all I wanted to hear." Striding in to the interrogation room, Roslin nodded to the guards that followed her. "This ends now, take him."

"I have a message for you." Rising from the chair as the guards man handled him, Leoben tried to reach Laura. "I have a message from God!"

"Hold a second." Laura stood with her arms at her sides, fingers twitching in amusement. "What?"

Leoben quickly wrapped her up in a hug, nuzzling her hair.

"Hold!" Laura had to raise her hands to keep the guards off.

Smiling at Felix as he leaned in to Laura's ear, Leoben whispered, "Adama's a cylon." Taking a step back, he allowed the guards to seize him once more.

Watching him with bitter amusement, Roslin crossed her arms. "Throw him out the air lock." She held up a hand to silence Kara's protest. "He is a weapon, created for the sole purpose of sowing distrust among the fleet. We have been scrambling about, searching for a weapon that doesn't exist. Our ships are spread so far apart we risk losing them if the cylons attacked. There is only one way to deal with a dangerous weapon, you get rid of it."

While Kara seemed ready to weep for the Leoben, Felix held his head high. It was the right thing to do. He stepped in close as the cylon was forced in to the air lock. Grabbing his hand when the guard turned him loose, Felix locked their fingers together. Taking the other, he pressed it to his stomach. After a moment, he nodded. Letting the confused cylon go, Felix stepped back and hit the air lock controls to seal it.

"Do it, Major." Laura watched with more than a little sadistic glee as the button was pressed and the cylon sucked in to space. Closing her eyes, she savored the moment. Two down, so many more to go before... it would never be enough. She was dying, and while she could, she would take as many of them with her. "I am ordering a gag to everyone here. No one is to know what was said in this interrogation chamber or here. If word of the Major's condition is leaked, heads will roll. Dismissed." Taking her own orders, Roslin stalked out of the hatchway and back towards the landing bay.

Felix didn't bother to look around, he knew they were looking at him. After buttoning his shirt, he tucked the tails back in his pants. He had hoped to escape before Kara woke up from her dazed expression, but she was quicker than he thought. Looking down at the hand on his arm, he shook it off.

"Daphne..." She didn't know what to say, didn't have time to think before he was gone. Closing her eyes, she sighed. Lee was going to love this.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Taking her glasses off as Gaius entered her office, Laura smiled. "Thank you for coming, Doctor Baltar. I understand you are busy, but this will only take a moment of your time."

"Of course." He felt like throwing up. The looks she had been giving him since Shelly Godfried appeared made him nervous each time they were alone. "What can I do for you, Madam President?"

"I want you to build a cylon detector. One that isn't based upon Felix Adama's research." Sitting back in her chair, she studied him for a reaction.

Gaius wiped at his face. Why was she asking this of him now? "May I ask why?"

"I have reason to suspect his findings." She gestured to a folder on her desk. "Shelly Godfried held only two of the trace samples in her cellular make-up that he proved were cylon indicators. Either they are perfecting their process, or he isn't as right as he has lead us to believe. Both are disturbing to me and I require a more concrete method. Do you think you can handle that?"

Ignoring the Six that traced a hand down the side of his chair, Gaius nodded. "I'll certainly give it my best."

~~~~ Tigh Me Up, Tigh Me Down ~~~~

Despite the words of the president to the contrary, Felix knew that someone had blabbed. People every where were giving him strange looks. Most of them were borderline hostile. Only a few of them were sympathetic, of those, none were men. Upon opening his quarters the second day after the interrogation, he found the room decked out in pink and blue ribbons and chrome baby booties.

Finger prints revealed who the culprits were. When he was finished talking with them, they had turned themselves in for disciplinary actions. If there had been a choice, Felix would have left the fleet. Wherever he went, there was no relief from the faces.

Not even Gaius was immune to the constant gossip. For the first half hour of their work that day, the other man had watched him in utter fascination. Finally, unable to take it any more, Felix had picked up the microscope and thrown it at the other man, missing him on purpose. After he heard the other man crash to the deck in an attempt to duck under, Felix grabbed his coat and took off.

Felix hadn't been aware of where he was going, just that he had to do something. Life on Galactica was too stifling for an oddity like himself. As his vision became blurry, he wiped at it and came away wet. He ignored the tears, it was just another symptom of his pregnancy. Finally, he came upon what felt like the right place.

He was at a hatch. Spinning the handle, he pulled it open and went inside. He slammed it shut behind him, throwing the bolt in place. His actions spooked the two people on the bunk. It took Felix several blinks to understand what he was seeing. Without a single word spoken, he unlocked the hatch, opened it, and walked out.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"Major, what do you think you are doing?"

He was adrift among the stars. It was peaceful, so vast and unassuming. There were so many of the, so beautiful. They out numbered even the people in colonies. Ever since he could remember, Felix had been a part of the stars, where everyone else had been apart from them. He had been born and raised among them, he would die among them.

"Mr. Adama, come in. Return at once."

Tears would come out here for a while. They would freeze on his face, but they still flowed none the less. For so long all he knew was the cold of space. When he was a boy, they had let him float among them when he cried. Children of the stars had no use for tears.

"Felix. What did you expect? It was over... I don't mean that. I'm sorry."

He was a child of the stars. He came from them, he was part of them, they were made of the same things. In his own way, he too glowed brilliantly. They had named him after the brightest star in the night sky. Part of the stars.

He was one of them.

"Felix, think about this! What about...him?" Lee's voice. For once since it started, he sounded concerned about him.

Not for him, for who he was with.

Looking behind him, Felix saw no one. To his left there was no one as well. He was alone in the Raptor. Reaching down to the controls, he powered up the FTL drive.

"Come out, Mr Gaeta! Do you hear me? Turn the alarms off and come out of there. Technicians are working..."

Activating the drive cut off the Commander's voice.

~~~~~ The Hand of God ~~~~~

Awakening from yet another dream where he flew away, Felix sighed, disappointed. He was still in his cabin aboard the Galactica. Felix glanced at the chronometer on the wall. The time and date had changed since he last saw it, but he didn't care. He had disabled the handset, intercomm, and the siren to give him a measure of peace. The double set of locks on the door kept even the most determined of visitors out. A private bath, his own personal food stores, and a warm bed meant he didn't have to go out.

Rolling over, Felix hunkered down in his bunk and went back to sleep.

~~~~~~~~~ Colonial Day ~~~~~~~

There was an excitement in the air as he walked the decks. People were too busy wrapped up in their own lives to give him notice. Apparently something had happened that distracted them from his existence. It was good, he preferred it that way.

A passing couple said something about visiting Cloud Nine after their shift was over. He couldn't tell what that was, but apparently it meant something to them. May be it was one of the ships in the fleet. If it was being frequented by the crew, then it must have been a recreational vessel before the fall. He would have to stay away, someone would inevitably recognize him and most assuredly attack him. Not, it was by far better trying to stay invisible on the Galactica.

Finally, he came upon the lab. Opening the hatch, he entered. The lights were still bright, the machines still running. He picked up a smock from the coat rack and draped it over his protruding stomach. It had been month since he had been out of his quarters and already he was no longer able to hide it. Yet another reason he wished to avoid human contact.

The main reason he had come out of his quarters, his medicine had run out. He needed to check his blood to see if a change in his medicine was required or was the same dosage enough? For that, he had to work in the lab.

Turning, what he had thought was an empty lab turned out to have a gawking Gaius Baltar. Following the man's gaze down, Felix saw his stomach was protruding through his smock. "Is there a problem, Dr. Baltar?"

Shaking his head, Gaius refocused his attention on the other man's face. "Sorry, you're just... I've never had to deal with a man in your delicate state."

"I am far from delicate." It made him a little testy, but other wise, Felix didn't feel much different. May be the mood swings were gone. Pulling on a pair of gloves after he washed his hands, he walked over to his old lab top. He shuffled through the supplies until he found a needle and vial kit. As he took his own blood sample, Felix began to scan the lab. There were thousands of samples in the freezers at the back of the lab. "The whole fleet finally consent to being tested?"

"No, it was a mandatory order from the president. Some times I wished she had just left it alone. But, one of the perks of being vice president, I can tell her that and she has to listen now." Humming to himself, Gaius went back to checking the blood sample in his machine. It was now complete, but the damned thing took two hours longer than the old process.

"Congratulations on the promotion." After he wiped away at the puncture with a sterile cloth, Felix went about testing the sample. He was startled when Gaius appeared at his side. "Something I can help you with?"

"I was just wondering if I... could touch it?" Holding out his hand hopefully, he was surprised when Gaeta nodded. He tentatively slid his hand over the cloth covered stomach, tracing out each detail. "Amazing, absolutely remarkable. I never thought it was possible, a man carrying a child. Don't take this the wrong way, but I find the idea of you pregnant appealing."

"Funny, I find it mind numbingly terrifying." Taking Gaius' hand off his stomach when it became uncomfortable, Felix pulled his lab coat to cover it. "I'm certain now that I must have done something in a past life to anger the gods."

"Perhaps if you made a sacrifice in the temple of Diana. I hear they have one established in Cloud Nine." Gaius squeezed his hand shut, savoring the remembered feeling of the warm cloth under his fingers. He had to shift to prevent certain reactions from being noticed by his colleague. Deciding to focus on something else to take his mind off it, he was about to ask why Felix had hidden for a month when he remembered. "Have you thought of baby names yet?"

"Actually, Gaius, I would just rather get this done so I can get back to my cabin." Pressing a needle injector in to the blood vial, Felix took a small sample from it. Emptying the injector in to a prepared solution, he threw the injector in the trash and carried the solution tray to a sorting machine.

"Right, I completely understand. It must be extremely stressful just coming out of your room." Waiting until Felix had his back turned, Gaius snatched the injector out of the trash and pocketed it. "Well, I'll let you get back to work, I have so much of it myself."

Felix introduced the solution in to the sorting machine and turned it on without acknowledging Gaius.

~~~~~~~~~~~

In the end, it turned out all he needed was a refill on two medicines and to quit taking the mood altering drugs. He had developed a high tolerance for it while his system reset for the hormones. His own food stores needed to be replenished with healthier alternatives, but he waited until middle of third shift before doing that. There were few people around while he raided a storage locker, signed the form, and carried his booty away.

Felix wasn't one to take something for nothing, so he had run the blood samples for Cottle to check for anomalies while running his. Ten people needed to cut fatty foods from their diets, one person was pregnant, (other than him), and twenty people shared the same strand of bacterial infection. Everyone was having sex but him.

For a while, as he watched Gaius sweat over his work and bend over to retrieve fallen papers, he had been tempted to take the man up on his offer. He might have done it right there in the lab. Only one thing stopped him. Sample X-33-A was for one Gaius Baltar, and had a sexually transmitted bacterial infection. Considering the man's reputation, he had either got it from someone, or had been the original carrier. Either way, he had spread it around.

That thought had shut down any idea of frakking one Gaius Baltar.

Cleaning his clothes in the refresher in his quarters, Felix began to read over Dailies that had been left in the pilot's rec. room. He had over a month of information to catch up on. Apparently his ex had been successful at a Tylium run battle. The one he was screwing finally healed up from her broken leg. They were both pictured dancing together at the Fifty-Second Colonial Day Celebrations. Also, apparently print and wireless media had been restored.

Gleefully shredding his ex's picture, Felix used it in a sculpture he was building from paper mache. It would hold because he was using old oil from the deck hatches as glue. The sculpture was in the shape of a man, a man with very large balls. He topped it off with a crown of Chamalla leaves and pilot's wings. When it had dried, he opened up the disposal shoot and dropped it in for the incinerator.

Let Athena chew on that.

~~~~~~ Scattered ~~~~~

The constant knocking on his door finally awakened him. Realizing they weren't going to stop and go away, Felix pulled on a pair of black boxer shorts as he climbed out of bed. It was all he was going to wear for whoever it was. Let them stare at his belly, he didn't care. Throwing the bolts off, he turned the handle and opened the hatch. "What?"

The Petty Officer on the other side saluted him and thrust a dark blue uniform in to his hands. "Major Adama, Colonel Tigh requests your presence in CIC immediately. Action Stations have been called, we are under Alert One Status. Commander Adama has been shot and we need all the senior officers at their duties." Stepping back, she saluted again and walked off.

Stunned, Felix examined the uniform, it was a standard officer's uniform, but it looked to have been adjusted for expansion for his growing bulk. The rank insignia on the collar were for a Colonial Military Major. If Adama had been shot, then the Colonel must have been desperate to call on him. Figuring it might be worth a moment of his time even if it was a hoax, he closed the hatch to get ready.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Upon entering the CIC, Felix found it in complete disarray. Too many people talking at the same time and the Colonel was no where to be found. "Who's in charge here?"

Popping up from the Dradis console, Lieutenant Hanlon glared at Felix. "I am."

"That is I am, sir! And you're relieved of Command, dumb, stupid frak!" Striding in to the CIC behind Felix, Tigh was putting the finishing touches on his uniform. Despite the change and quick shower, his nails still held traces of blood under them. "Glad you decided to join us, Major. The whole fleet goes to hell in a hand basket while you were off sulking in your quarters, real nice."

"Good to be here." He let the sarcasm speak for itself. Walking to the Command Console with Tigh, Felix studied the charts on it. "What's the Sit Rep?"

"Two Raptors down on the planet with the remains of a baseship in orbit. One cylon transport confirmed on the planet before our Raptors went down." Staring at the blood stains on the star charts, Tigh's fist clenched. "Boomer decided to reveal she was a cylon by putting a couple rounds in the old man's chest. He's in the infirmary, but Cottle is in the fleet. We can't get him back because we jumped one way to avoid cylons, and the fleet took a different route thanks to our wonderful, top of his class Tactical Officer!"

If the situation wasn't so grim, Felix would have gloated over his former classmate. "Anything else?"

"The president sent Starbuck off on a wild goose chase, so the old man threw her in the brig. You'll like this next part." Grinning maliciously, Tigh flicked the drying blood off a map. "Your ex decided to throw in his lot with the school teacher and turned on his own team. He's cooling his heels in the brig with her."

"Good place for him." Shuffling through the star charts, Felix checked for the most recent ones. "We'll need to jump back to the last coordinates the fleet and Galactica were joined together at so we can predict their location."

"We can't, there are two basestars waiting for us." He started to say more, but the dradis console squeaked and went out. "Damn it, Hanlon, get that thing fixed!"

"I am trying!" At the scowl, Hanlon grit his teeth. "Sorry, sir, right away, sir."

"Then we will simply have to make the jump computer faster. By networking the jump computer, navigation, life support, and dradis, it will have enough computational power to cut the time down to just a few minutes." Felix found himself the center of shocked and angry gazes. "It will have to be done if you want to save Commander Adama's life. We can purge the system later and reboot the memory core with the old prewar backups."

Tigh considered it for a moment. The old man would never have liked it, but then again, this wasn't his decision. "Tell all batteries to make ready. I want the pilots prepped to defend us, just in case. Fire suppression and response teams in suits and on every corridor. We are going in hot, people!" Turning back to Felix, he gave him a shrewd smile. "How long do you need?"

"If you get that fool out of my way, an hour at most. Once we jump, the system will take it from there." Already on the move, Felix tore the face plates off several control panels. Grabbing a petty officer at a console, he pushed him towards the door. "I need connectors, cables, and a level seven kit!"

"Sir, I don't know what to look for or where." Flinching at Felix's look, he backed up a step.

"Level Seven Kits are kept in the science lab, they are marked in bright red and yellow. They say 'Level Seven', now go!" Shaking his head as he tore off another face plate, Felix began checking the connectors for active ends. "What the hell have they been teaching them at the academy?"

"I've been asking the same thing myself." Chuckling, Tigh came over to watch as Felix began to unhooking the controls and joining the wires to the next. When the dradis sparked and came back on, he knew he had made the right decision in bringing the Major in to it.

~~~~~~~~~ Resistance ~~~~~

Exhausted, Felix nearly had to drag himself along the wall as he entered the brig. Luckily, he had enough strength to straighten up and adjust his uniform. Walking slowly in to the room, he kept his chin up, refusing to look down. The sight of his exhusband on a bunk was the first thing that greeted him. He turned quickly to the other cell so he could see the president.

Laura looked a little dazed, but other wise okay. Hearing the foot steps stop in front of her cell, she glanced up from her book. Upon seeing Felix, she smiled warmly. "Felix, how are you?"

"Dying slowly a day at a time." Clutching the bars for support, he eased his belly against them to take some of the strain off his back. "The baby grows quickly. Cottle thinks in two months it will be safe to take him out. Less if necessary." Behind him, he heard the guard's breath catch, but ignored him.

"Two months. It's been so long since I last seen you." Shakily, she rose to her feet. Her glasses started to slip, so she took them off and laid them on her book. "I don't claim to understand what kept you away, but I empathize. It can't be easy to go through this alone." Her tone held rebuke for the man in the next cage, but he gave no sign of having heard. "How is Commander Adama?"

"Doing well, but he has yet to wake up. He should very soon." His words slightly slurred, Felix began to slump against the bars. He had to catch himself before he fell completely forward. "I am sorry, Madam President, I don't think I can continue our conversation. He started for the door, but hit the deck before he made two paces, landing on his ass. Grunting, he frowned. "I don't feel so good."

"Major?" The marine lowered his gun then completely let it go as he scrambled to catch Felix as he slumped forwards. Easing the moaning man flat on his back, the marine pulled his legs out from under him. "Gently, Major, just let go."

Nodding, Felix closed his eyes and went completely limp.

"Lieutenant, what's happening?" Concerned, Laura damned the bars for preventing her from going to Felix's side.

"Exhaustion, ma'am. My sister went through... He's over taxed himself the past couple days." After he made sure Felix was comfortable, the Marine walked over to the handset on the wall and picked it up. "Send a medteam to the brig, Major Adama is unconscious and requires assistance."

Silently on his bunk, Lee kept his eyes shut, blocking out the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~

"You're exhausted. I don't know how many ways I can say it, get your ass back to bed at a decent hour and sleep the full night away! That's an order this time, Major!" Slamming the clipboard down on the bed, Cottle stomped away. If these damned fool patients wanted to end their own lives, it wasn't his problem.

Sitting up on the gurney, Felix threw the examination gown off. With the extra weight, he took it slowly out of fear of falling. The trip off the gurney was an entirely different matter. Jumping off, he had to stagger a bit to keep his balance. Glaring down at his belly, he silently wished the little creature inside would hurry up and finish gestating already.

All his thoughts aside, he had a job to do. A night in the infirmary had made him ready for his duty again. He was certain that Colonel Tigh was chewing the consoles in the CIC waiting for him to get there. The mental image of it was amusing to him as he pulled on his uniform. After carefully buttoning it up over his stomach, he came around the next curtained off area. He gave the Commander a quick glance over then left.

Felix was halfway to the hatch when his stomach gave a slight thump. Stopping in shock, he glanced down. It happened again. Despite a sudden thought that he had lost his mind, the front of his uniform bulged for a moment. He had to bite down on his sudden urge to scream bloody murder. Quickly, he unbuttoned the front of his uniform and jerked the shirt out of his pants to stare at his stomach. Sheer stupidity seemed to well up in him when he uttered, "it's trying to get out."

Skin darkening in an instant blush, he put his shirt down and walked out, mortified at the thought someone had heard. He knew the baby wasn't trying to get out, it was just an attempt to develop muscles. Still, the fear lingered, he had seen those Hero Baby horror movies just like everyone else. The thought of a half god, half human baby being so powerful it tore out of its mother's womb made his pulse suddenly faint.

Shuddering, he continued along the corridors until he came to the CIC. For once, the command center was quiet as people cast nervous glances his way. Stepping in to the line of fire, he caught Tigh's attention. "Major Adama reporting for duty."

"At least someone of your generation understands what that means!" Slamming a clipboard down, Tigh handed a sheet of paper off to Felix. "I want you to ensure these ships begin producing supplies immediately, use whatever means you deem necessary. I've already sent in a detachment of marines to a few. Also, get that police farce off this ship, I don't want any more damned civilians taking up valuable space." In anticipation of Felix's response, he held up a hand. "If you are worried about deployment, get them to begin searching the fleet for the President and her traitor boy toy. Seems someone let them off the ship last night while you were in the infirmary getting your beauty sleep."

Felix followed Tigh's gaze along the CIC towards the communications officer. He couldn't recall her name, but he remembered her lingering about. She liked to watch his ex. Jealous anger made him want to snap at her, but it was unprofessional. "Aye, sir. They will be gone within the hour. I will set them to work over seeing the distribution of supplies. If that fails, do I have your permission to use the marines?"

"Do whatever you have to. If supplies run out because some uppity civilian takes it in their head to stand for some crap, we always have a prison ship." Grinning, Tigh enjoyed the fearful looks the crew gave him. "You have Command, Major. I'll be in my quarters trying to get some sleep. I am only to be disturbed if cylons attack or the old man wakes up. All else, I trust you can handle."

Saluting the Colonel, Felix stood at attention until he left. The moment the hatch closed behind the older man, the room seemed to come back to life. Chatter started up again and lights lit up across the boards. Felix glanced down at the paper with a sigh. More than a third of the fleet was listed on it. In his mind, he reordered things to priority and stalked over to the comm officer.

He didn't look directly at her as he spoke, but made sure all heard his words. "Petty Officer, I want a comm sent across the wireless to all ships. We acknowledge their right to protest, but the cessation of supplies is not an exercise in civil disobedience, but a blatant lawless act. We are deploying the Civilian Police Force to assure that supplies continue to flow. The president is a rogue and the civil government has been contested by military authority. Those aiding in her flight from justice are outlaws themselves and face penalties, this includes Captain Lee Adama. Until these issues are resolved, all will comply with these direct orders. Signed: Civilian Authority and Military Adjunct, Inspector General Major Felix Adama."

Turning away from her, Felix walked around the command console to stare directly at Lieutenant Hanlon. "Get down to the civilian barracks, I want the Police Force suited up and ready for mobilization in thirty minutes. No complaints." He looked to the petty officer next to the Lieutenant. "Comm the flight deck, we have a full police battalion readying for deployment. I want a dozen Raptors fueled up and armed in fourty-five minutes. Set the Battlestar to Alert Status Two, tell the captain of the marines I want them on standby just in case."

By the time he finished speaking, the CIC was alive with people talking and moving for a different reason than before. If they thought him a pushover, he was going to prove to them just how far pushing got with him.

~~~~~~~~~ The Farm ~~~~~~

Felix's eyes were heavy and perspiration had soaked through his undershirt by the time his twelve hour shift drew to a close. He was looking forward to a hot shower and a decent meal beyond the rations he'd had during his quick midday meal. So far, twenty ships of the thirty-eight had complied with his orders. Of the remaining eighteen, only four continued to outright contest his authority. Several times he had come close to ordering a ship fired upon, but instead, had vindictively listened as the police arrested the captain.

So far, he had five people imprisoned aboard the Astral Queen. Well, forcefully relocated was more apt. He knew that Zarek saw to them as if honored guests. To ensure that the ships remained open, he ordered the police to leave an escort aboard them. He was fast running out of men and the other fourteen ships that seemed willing to work with him had begun to ignore his summons. If something didn't happen soon, the fleet would tear itself apart.

"Petty Officer Dualla, I want a report from the CAG, ASAP. Lieutenant Hanlon, prepare a report on the tactical situation of the fleet. Petty Officer," he had to pause and rub his eyes. His head ache was starting back up again. "Petty Officer Nephtys, prepare ship's duty roster for inspection. Petty Officer Dualla, comm Sargent Hadrian, she's to report ship's discipline for Colonel Tigh in fifteen minutes."

As he finished giving out orders, Felix leaned against the command console. Ten more minutes and he would be free to go back to his quarters. Once there, he could slip out of the chaffing uniform and in to a hot shower. He could spend the next hour eating something and then he would be out like a light. When a hush descended upon the CIC, Felix raised his head.

Walking in to the CIC, Commander Adama acknowledged the applause from his crew with a smile. Slowly, he scanned the crew's faces. At the center of his sweep, his gaze landed upon Felix. For a moment, he hesitated, then continued his sweep of his people. Continuing his journey, he came to the command console. Much to his surprise, Felix saluted him. "Major Gaeta?"

"Adama, sir. I kept my married name." Lowering his arm, Felix nodded to the Colonel in acknowledgement. "Command is now yours, sir." Picking up the ship's log book, he handed it to Commander Adama. "It's good to see you up and about, sir."

"And you too, I mean that." He put a hand on Felix's shoulder, the one that had been shot. He understood the pain the other man had been in, let him know that. His gut still burned from the memory of the bullets. "How is my grand son?"

"Kicking. The little... he has been practicing for a marathon all day." Felix smiled. It felt surprisingly good to talk about it. Catching the Commander eyeing the swelled front of his uniform, he looked up and cleared his throat. Reaching out, he grabbed the older man's hand and placed it over where the fetus was kicking.

Bill's expression went neutral for a minute, then slowly melted to one of amusement. "He's strong."

"And active." Catching Tigh's slightly green appearance, Felix grinned. So his pregnancy made the older man ill? "Would you care to feel, Colonel?"

"No! I, uh, no." Backing up a step, Tigh shook his head. "Looks like you've been working hard, Major. Why don't you go take a shower, get something to eat."

"Aye, sir." Saluting, Felix waited until the Commander's hand dropped from his stomach before he stepped carefully around them and slowly walked to the hatch. He had noticed earlier that anything faster than a sedate pace turned in to a waddle.

Bill couldn't keep the grin off his face as he watched the younger man go. It felt right, some how, that his grand child would be born on a battlestar, his battlestar. Glancing down at the log entries, he was impressed by the concise wording and writing. Minor details like the attitudes of certain crew members were written down along side reports of near combat situations. Twelve hours of events was right there in black and white. "You said he has been working in here since I was... shot?"

"Yes. Surprisingly, my gamble paid off. He does his job, doesn't cause trouble, and is quick to end any that pops up." Cast a quick glance to the eaves dropping Lieutenant, Tigh turned so he couldn't be over heard. "I hate to say Negala was right, but I agree, you made the wrong decision three years ago."

"May be you're right." Adama didn't have to look up to know Hanlon was listening in on a conversation he wasn't privy too, again. The younger man had made a habit of getting in to other's business for no other reason than he was nosey. "Keep him on as the third shift Watch Officer. If he handles that, we will see about getting something more permanent established."

~~~~~~~~~ Home ~~~~~~

Clutching the console, Felix closed his eyes and fought the urge to throw up. He hated this part. All around him he heard the power drain as the Galactica's FTL drives came online. There was the sheering feeling followed by the heavy fall in his gut as they emerged from the jump. Gasping, he was glad he managed to hold his dinner in.

He looked around him to see if anyone else had the same reaction and was mad to find it was just him. Everyone else seemed to be more excited about the jump than anything else. They were reuniting the fleet once more, going to retrieve their fellows, of course they were happy. Felix's stomach did a flip over that idea alone. Of course, having his kid kicking him towards his stomach didn't help that much either.

Hand over his mouth, he ran for the upper deck disposal hatch. He barely got it open before the contents of his stomach came up. After he finished retching, he wiped his mouth with a report he took from the person standing behind him. He tossed it in the incinerator shoot and let the hatch close. Turning around, he found everyone looking at him, even the Commander, who was busy trying not to smile.

Straightening his uniform and appearance, Felix walked back to the dradis console with as much dignity as he could muster. "Commander Adama, we have successfully complete our jump to Kobol. All ships accounted for, including the fourty-three who jumped with the president."

"Very good. Colonel Tigh, the ship is yours." Nodding to the marine behind him, Adama started to lead the way out of the CIC, but Felix met him at the hatch. "Major?"

"Sir, if you would, take this to the Captain." Felix pulled out an envelope from his uniform. Handing it to Adama, Felix made sure the name was clearly visible. "He will know what it means."

Accepting it, Adama nodded. "I will see you when we return. Don't give the Colonel any trouble."

"I'll try, sir." Stepping back, Felix let him pass and the marine guards. He watched them, wishing he could go down, but knew he wasn't physically up for the trek. Despite his yearning, he had another life to think about now.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Felix knew that life was to be different when the ground party returned, but sitting on the deck, a hand to his mouth, he hadn't expected that. Too stunned to feel the pain, he could only stare up at Lee in curiosity. He saw Starbuck off to the side, her eyes refusing to look at him. Beside her, Adama and the President, both looking pissed. He couldn't tell with whom they were mad at, but in the next moment he couldn't think to care.

Pain shot out from his stomach to his back, up his spine and down through his legs. Falling forward to clutch at his stomach, he sucked in a breath, eyes wide. All else was forgotten in the spasming of his muscles. Crying out, his skin flushed and his vision blurred. Something inside him felt torn and with each beat of his heart grew worse.

He was on his back, eyes wide in shock. Gasping for breath, he couldn't see so he tried to reach out for something to hold on to. His hands encountered something warm and soft, so he clutched at it desperately. Abruptly, he lost all sense of the world around him and he faded away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Gloves already off, Cottle pulled off surgical cap and mask. Walking over to the clothes bin, he tossed them in then removed his surgical gown and apron. Bone tired, he walked over to the plastic incubator and gently tapped on the tank. When the tiny bundle inside moved, he nodded to the nurse to take him away.

Stepping out of the surgical area, he entered the infirmary proper. Waiting for him were the President, Bill Adama, Lee Adama, and two marines holding Lee. Stopping directly in front of Lee, Cottle lit a cigar, took a puff then blew the smoke directly in his face. "You're damned lucky I'm a good surgeon, little boy."

Laura let out a sigh of relief. She had lost enough people today. Before she knew it, she was leaning on Adama, letting him hold her. "How is the baby?"

"The boy weighs four pounds, five ounces. His lungs aren't finished developing, but with proper treatment and care, his chances are good." Alternating between anger and sympathy, Cottle chose the former and blew another puff at Lee. "Get him the hell out of my infirmary!"

"I want to see my son. I have the right." Lee kept his tone low and firm. He didn't want to provoke the older man, but he wasn't going to back down from this.

"I don't think I gave you the option, little boy. I won't have violent children endangering my patients." Cottle jerked his chin towards the exit. Much to his satisfaction, the marines complied. While Lee was dragged from the infirmary demanding to see his son, Cottle turned to Adama and Roslin. "The Major will require at least two weeks to recover. I had to remove the womb and a few of the muscles, he might move awkward for a while, but he should make a full recovery. Had this happened on another ship in the fleet, he would be dead."

Jaw clenched, Adama nodded once. "I'll handle him. Ensure that both father and child survive."

"I'll do my best. Just keep us out of trouble, and their chances are excellent." With another puff, Cottle walked away.

~~~~~~~~ Final Cut ~~~~~~~~

Lee bounced off the wall of his cell and hit the ground. Favoring his left shoulder, he wiped the blood from his split lip. He cast a quick look to his father standing over him and shook his head. "No more, please."

"Are you sure? You don't want to go another round, prove how much of a man you are?" Knuckles split, Adama shook his hand to take out the sting. Having hit Lee with it in the face twice, it was starting to swell and go numb. "I thought you had more in you than that."

"I'm sorry, Dad." Hanging his head, Lee forced himself to keep down. He had already lost, but his own anger refused to be broken. There was no contest, he hadn't stood a chance despite his attempt to take his father on.

"What's the matter, Lee? I thought you were a man, you proved it to Felix, why not me?" When his son just sat there, Bill took a deep breath. "Pathetic." Nursing his hand, Adama stepped out of the cell, leaving the door open.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the curtained area. Lee had been watching his exhusband sleep for the past thirty minutes. In all that time, he had tried a dozen times in a dozen different ways to wake Felix up and apologize. All was for not, however, since he couldn't make his mouth open to say anything. Walking around the end of the bed, he decided whatever there was to say, it could wait.

Tears came to his eyes at the sight of the massive bruise covering the lower half of Felix's face. He really had done it. Bending over, he paused just above the sore flesh. Lee wanted to make it disappear, but there would never come the time again. In the end, he pressed a gentle kiss to the bruised skin.

As strong arms encircled his neck, Lee closed his eyes and let them bring him down further. To get closer, he climbed on to the gurney with Felix, draping an arm over his hip. Mindful of the stitching in Felix's gut, Lee helped to ease his ex on his side. "I love you, Felix. I'm sorry for everything, there's no excuse for it all. It's just, for so long I was angry and you were convenient. I never meant for any of it to happen, hurting you, the divorce, even Kara. All that was one mistake after another."

Placing a hand over Lee's own bruised lips, Felix shook his head. "Shut up and go to sleep. The baby will be up in an hour and it's your turn to feed him."

Stunned, Lee nodded. Watching as Felix went back to sleep, he watched him for the next hour. After that, he had his hands full with the squalling infant.

From the entrance of the infirmary, a reporter caught the entire thing on film.

~~~~~~ Flight of the Pheonix ~~~~

Circling the frame of the ship, Felix examined it. He longed to run his fingers over the steel supports, but the bundle in his arms prevented any contact. Rocking the baby, his baby, Felix cast a longing look at the crew working on it, but kept on going. The deck was no place for a baby boy. Barely a month old, he was hardly bigger than when he was born, but his weight had vastly improved.

Lycilus Adama. He still couldn't believe the name that Lee had picked out. His son was named Lyle as far as anyone else was concerned, he made sure of that. Lyle didn't like to be set down for any amount of time unless he was asleep. Cottle had told Felix it was part of being born premature, the baby would be insecure and needy for at least the first year. Having been married to Lee for two years, Felix knew he could handle the same qualities in a baby.

In his arms, Lyle started to make a fuss, his breathing hitching and fists clenching. Felix shook his head in patient amusement. Lyle was hungry and was about to let the entire fleet know that. Picking up his pace, he moved towards the pilots' berth. After side stepping a running Hotdog and Kat, Felix began to wonder what it was this time.

Finally, he came to the senior pilots' bunks and kicked the hatch door three times. He didn't have to wait long.

Opening the door while tasseling her hair, Kara looked at him for a moment, before stepping back. A guilty expression on her face quickly turned sour. "He's still in the shower."

"That's okay, I'll wait. Lyle is hungry anyways." Shrugging off the leather duffle from his shoulder, Felix handed Lyle to Kara. He enjoyed the way she squirmed, trying to hold the baby as far from her as possible and not drop him at the same time. Quickly, he took a bottle with baby nutritional formula from the side pouch and walked in to the pilot's bath. While he filled it with water from the tap, he cast a glance in to the showers. He almost over filled it while oogling his ex.

Putting the cap back on the bottle, he shook it and tested it on the skin of his arm. Satisfied it wouldn't upset Lyle, he carried it back in to the bunks. Despite his amusement, he took pity on Kara and retrieved the baby from her arms. Cuddling the baby, he slid the nipple smoothly between Lyle's gums and watched him begin sucking.

The baby had retained the blue eyes from his birth, making something clear to Felix, his family carried the trait. While other people wouldn't have cared, he was surprised. He knew nothing about his family. Lyle had his hair, but the skin and complexion were pure Adama. Felix was overjoyed to see Lyle had his nose and brow, not that he told Lee. Caressing one of the now chubby cheeks, Felix felt a moment of peace.

Coming in upon this scene, Lee had to artfully drape his towel and quickly turn away to hide his reaction. Seeing Felix holding their son made him happy, really happy. Pulling on a pair of boxer briefs and his shorts, he turned around to face Felix. "Has he had a nap yet?"

"No. He's been a fuss pot all day. That means he should sleep most of the night. If you go to bed when he does, you should get a few hours of sleep." Standing up, Felix reluctantly handed over their son to Lee. He didn't completely let go, even though his ex took the bottle. "I heard they are almost through proofing your quarters for Lyle. He needs to get used to sleeping in his own bed."

"So?" Lee knew what he was saying, but he wasn't going to admit it.

"So, you need to start putting him in the crib. Lyle can't sleep in your bed forever, Lee, it isn't healthy for him." Felix foisted the leather duffle on to Lee's shoulders. "I know how much he means to you, but Lyle needs you to be a parent." Brushing a kiss to the top of his son's head, Felix leaned over and brushed his lips to Lee's. "I love you, take care, both of you."

Walking out, he replayed it in his mind. It had been a reflex action, kissing Lee. He didn't mean to do it, but he wanted to do it, so he did. Closing the hatch behind him, he left the stunned silence behind him.

~~~~~~ Pegasus ~~~~~~

For over a month, Felix had avoided the prison cell they had specially built for the cylon named Boomer. To be honest, for two of those weeks, he had been laid up in the infirmary. He never wanted to see the inside of one of those places again. For the past two and a half weeks, though, he had no excuse but his own reluctance to face the occupant. Now that he was there, he could no longer ignore the fact they had a living, breathing cylon among them.

What's more, she was pregnant.

He had timed it so he only had another half hour before his duty shift before coming to visit the cylon, Sharon. The fact his duty shift started two hours before midnight made the less likely chance she would be awake. He stayed to the shadows outside her cage for as long as he dared, but then ventured forward. He had to see her and the high walls prevented him from that since she was laying down.

As he drew closer, the top of her head appeared above the partition. He stopped, but the damage was already done. She stood up and looked out of the Plexiglass windows on her cell. In the dim light, he could make out her features. She was looking around hopefully.

Swallowing, Felix came in to the light. The smile that covered her features made his chest feel heavy. Walking to her cage, he picked up the handset and put it to his ear. She reciprocated his gesture. Closing his eyes, he took a deep breath. "Hello, Sharon."

"Hello, Gaeta." She put her hand to the glass. Her smile grew as he did the same. "We've missed you."

"God has been busy, I hear." He looked down to her stomach, the bulge already visible under her white tank top.

"Thanks to your help, I am going to be a mother." Cupping her belly, she smiled down at it wistfully. "It's a girl."

"You seem proud." The words came out choked. Tears started at the corners of his eyes and he quickly wiped them away. There was no time for them. What was done was done. "Why did they do it?"

Sighing, Sharon looked up from her hands to stare at him. For a time she considered his question. Any response she gave him would most likely hurt him, so that only left the truth. "Many reasons. But above all else, it was a gift. God worked through you, we wished to express how grateful we were."

"You were testing it out. I told Six it would work, she should just have trusted me." He grew silent. There were so many reasons to yell or scream, but he didn't want it to happen. "As far as I am concerned, the cylons have earned their deaths. What they did made them no better than the humans."

Sharon lowered the handset, watching him through the glass. After a time, she raised it again. "There are those among the unity that agree with you. It was uncalled for. But then, we meet like this, and are reminded just what we really are."

"If the Leoben was correct, then I truly am the hand of God. Nothing I do is without his reason. If I bring an end to the cylon race, then it was his will." He stopped at her expression. "Sorry, it's just something that has been bothering me for a while. I have been very angry over what happened to me for a long time. Roslin believes I need to express myself more openly in a healthy manner."

"Your president should take her own advice." Scowling, Sharon rubbed at her stomach. The woman had almost thrown her out an airlock just because of what she was, she had little patience for her.

"What, you don't think tossing people out of airlocks is a healthy expression of anger?" His laugh was forced. Rubbing at his arms from an imagined frost, he shivered. "There are a lot of worse people out there to have for president, and only twelve of them are cylons."

Sharon was about to say something, but the alarms groaned for Alert Status. "Looks like you've got something to do."

"I'm the watch officer in a few minutes, so I guess I had better go." He rubbed at the glass towards her hand once more, then let go. "Good bye, Sharon."

"Come back soon, Gaeta." She watched him hang up and leave, feeling conflicted. She wanted to be out there with them, knew what it was like to serve aboard the Galactica from her other self's memories. On the other hand, she didn't really want to even be there on the ship at all.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Entering the CIC, Felix looked in askance to Colonel Tigh. "Situation?"

"We have a ship picked up on Dradis, it has a Colonial Transponder. Confirm it!" Watching the Dradis screens above him, Tigh gestured for Felix to take the tactical console.

Felix nodded as he raced across the room. Without his son taking up space in his body, Felix found himself moving faster and with greater agility. Taking the seat the Petty Officer had vacated, Felix called up the information from the ship. "Sir, I am confirming a Colonial signature."

"Sir!" Dualla drew attention to herself by standing up. "It's the Pegasus. She's wants to speak with Galactica Actual."

His uniform half done up, Adama walked from the entrance hatch to the Comm console and held out his hand. Taking the headset from Dualla, he slipped it on. "This is Commander Adama, to whom am I speaking?"

"Commander Adama, you're voice is a balm for sore ears. This is Admiral Helena Cain, how the hell have you been?" Her voice contained laughter and suppressed emotions.

Taking off his glasses, Adama looked around at the expectant face all around him. "I've been better. And yourself?"

"Couldn't be happier. Put me on over head." She waited for the signal to confirm her order. "On behalf of the BattleStar Pegasus and my crew I say, welcome back to the Colonial Fleet, BattleStar Galactica."

At the sound of her voice, something in Felix snapped. Clutching his head against the sudden blinding pain, he sagged against his console. When it had passed, he raised his head to see that no one had noticed his actions as they were too busy shouting and cheering. Easing away the signs of previous distress, he plastered on a smile.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Nervous anticipation rippled through the crowded deck as the Admiral's Raptor was dragged by the trolley to a docking position in front of the assembled crew. As the hatch opened and two marines stepped out, people held their breaths. A major and a Colonel stepped out next to stand at the base of the ramp. Finally, Admiral Cain stood up from the passenger seat of the Raptor.

Standing in the hatch of the Raptor, she surveyed the gathering of crew, personnel, and civilians with a cool appraisal. Settling her gaze upon Adama, the Colonel at his right, and the woman on his left, she stepped out of the Raptor and in to the hangar. At the base of the ramp, she held out her hand to him. "Commander Adama."

Taking her hand, Adama shook it twice before gesturing to his right. "Admiral Cain, may I present Colonel Tigh, my XO." He watched as they shook hands before turning to Laura. "And the president of the Twelve Colonies, Laura Roslin."

Surprised, Cain raised her eyebrows. "The secretary of Education?"

"That post has been filled by another now." Laura noted the hand shake snub and filed it away for later. "Welcome back to the colonies, Admiral. We are excited to be reunited with you and your crew once more."

"I'm sure." Turning back to Commander Adama, Cain held her hands at her side in anticipation. "I would like to see your log books as soon as possible. Also, your crew roster and munitions inventory, there is something we need to discuss soon."

"Of course, I will have Major Adama assemble those immediately." He was about to lead her away, but she stopped him by a hand on his arm.

"Major Adama? A little Nepotism among the ranks?" Her tone was teasing, but her expression made her opinion on the matter clear.

Adama glanced over his shoulder and gestured to Felix. "May I present, Major Felix Adama, my Second Officer."

Cain had been about to sneer her way towards the Commander's son, but when she heard his name, she looked at him in surprise. "How in the hell did you survive..."

"Surprise, Admiral." Pulling the trigger, Felix grinned. Twice, three times, then she was flying backwards, her chest exploding in blood. He had emptied the clip in to her before anyone could move.

Chaos erupted on the deck. In the next breath, Felix was tackled from four different directions.

~~~~~~~~ Epiphanies ~~~~~

"I've run the tests forty times, Admiral, each time the same conclusion." Setting down the large stack of test results, Gaius returned Adama's glare. "Felix Adama is human. There is absolutely no biological way he could be a cylon."

"Then why did he kill Admiral Cain?" Exhausted from the previous week's events and her own battle with cancer drawing to a close, Laura leaned heavily against her aide. Not even her glasses could be born under the conditions. "We have to know why, I want to know why."

"Before he shot her, Cain was asking how he survived." Setting the test results down, Adama left it open. "It is obvious they knew each other. Also, that she expected him to have died. From what we knew of her command, it is easy to assume she had a hand in his supposed death."

"Revenge?" Laura considered it for a moment. Chuckling, she shuddered as it turned in to a coughing fit. "Find out what, Admiral. Give me that."

Standing up, Adama nodded. It pained him to see her looking so frail.

~~~~~~~~~~~

Felix eyed Admiral Adama with a smirk as he entered the cell. His bruised face had returned to its normal size, but was still discolored. The smirk hurt, but he refused to let it go. "What can I do for you, Admiral?"

"The president is dying." Adama didn't look up, he didn't have to know the effect the news had on Felix. Instead, he picked up a chair and turned it to face Felix. Taking the seat, he adjusted his uniform to make it comfortable. "She has a final request, she wants the truth. The whole truth."

"Is that an order, sir?" It wasn't a challenge, just a question from him.

"Yes, I believe it is." He wasn't expecting much, but there was still the hope the other man would answer.

Sitting back, Felix nodded. It was time. He was going to be executed for his crimes, there was no questioning that. This way someone would know, she deserved that much. "Very well."

~~~~~~~~~~

The lights were too bright for her to keep her eyes open very far or for very long. When she opened them for what felt like the hundredth time, Laura saw something she hadn't been expecting to see. Her eyes filled with tears as he smiled down upon her. "Felix."

Taking her hand, Felix sat down on the stool beside her. He stroked her arm to comfort her. He had considered being genial and asking the usual pleasantries, but the first sight of her took all that way. There wasn't time for them. "You had the choice of so many things, yet you wanted the truth. For what little comfort it could possibly give, here it is." Felix paused long enough to take a breath before continuing. "Three years ago, I died."

"What?" Chest heavy, Roslin found it hard to gather breath to speak.

"I never finished telling you about my service in the Fleet Intelligence Corp. My last handler was Admiral Helena Cain. I went on one last mission because she forced me to. I wanted nothing more than to retire and live with Lee. He seemed like the best future I could hope for. Someone who cared, was around only long enough to keep in contact, and best of all, Lee hated the limelight his name caused to the point he became a social recluse. Over time, I eventually came to love him, but that was later."

He stopped speaking, letting go of her hand less he hurt her from his own remembered frustration. "After I completed the mission for Cain, she seemed to accept my resignation. It wasn't until I reached the hangar deck aboard the Pegasus that I found her response. Two marines marched me to a Raptor. They took me to an area of space just on the Armistice Line, it was a place conveniently where no patrol would find me. They opened the hatch and kicked me out. I didn't have a flight suit on."

"The cylons?" The question cost her a gasping fit.

"I don't know how or how long, but yes." He looked away from her, refusing to let her see his expression. "People think death in space is quick, almost painless. It probably took ten, fifteen seconds, but I do remember it was the most excruciating feeling." Shaking it off, he cleared his throat. "Some point during my time among them, they showed me the fleet. Countless basestars and raiders. Ships I have no name for. All of it was there in orbit of a world with black beeches and a red moon."

"Must..have been...terrifying." Coughing, she reached out and touched his shoulder.

"It was, but the real scary part happened when I came back." Facing her again, he let her see his tear stained cheeks. "No one believed me. It was the Chamalla the drug runners gave me. I remember it now, that was how the cylons smuggled me back to Caprica. For six months I tried to prove they existed, I even warned Admiral Metahart, head of Fleet Intelligence. In reward, she took my husband from me. After he was reassigned to the Demeter, a model Six came to me. She told me if I put my skills to use, they would ensure my husband survived.

"I owed them, and at the time of the offer, I was willing to do almost any thing to get Lee back." His hand shook until he forced it closed and down in to his lap. "They didn't destroy the Demeter, it was a ploy by a branch of the admiralty to start a war with the cylons. The cylons found out, and they gave me his location. He was supposed to die out there along with the rest of his crew, victims of a cylon attack." Voice flat, he held her stare. "I gave them everything I had on reproductive technology. To tell you the truth, I would do it again in a heart beat. Remember, I told you, anything for Lee."

"They..." she gasped, "manipulated you."

"Oh, I know. You see, my son is a part of their actions. They used me as a test animal. One day I will see to it that I thank them for him." Reaching out, he stroked the sweat dampened hair from her face. After capturing her hand, he kissed the palm. "Adama loves you, and Lee loves Adama. Your death would cause too many problems. So, you see, I can't let you do it. To that end, my knowledge of the cylons has given me an advantage others lack." Stepping back, he stood aside to let Baltar come in close. "Do it, Gaius."

Frowning at being ordered around, Baltar nodded. Turning to the dazed woman, Gaius smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "This will hurt, but when you wake up, you'll thank me." Putting the needle in her IV line, he pressed the injector.

THE END....................