FIC: A Lot to Live Up To (Part 3)

[lls_mutant]

Title: A Lot to Live Up To, Part 3
Author: lls_mutant
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Dee and Hoshi
Pairings: Dee/Lee, eventual Hoshi/Gaeta, and past Hoshi/Narcho in the background.
Summary: Hoshi's not the only one who makes life challenging for Dee on the Pegasus. Unfortunately, this challenge is not as straightforward to deal with.
Spoilers: Eventually through the end, but this part just through the New Caprica arc
Author's Note: Thanks to my awesome beta trovia, who really helped me kick Lee into non-shape.

I know I'm a day early, but my parents will be in town for the next few days, and my computer access is limited.

Part 1 | Part 2





"Viper six two three, Pegasus. Approach port landing bay, hands-on, speed one zero five, checkers red." Stinger's voice was muffled and broken over the comm unit.

"Copy that, Viper six two three. Skids down, mag-lock secure." Hoshi's fingers flew over his keyboard, and across the CIC Martins gave him a thumbs up. Dee watched them with a sense of satisfaction.

"How many more birds do we have to land?" she asked.

"Three, sir. Thumper, Hiccup, and Narcho," Hoshi said.

"Well, get them in here."

"Aye, sir. Viper four seven nine two, what's your status?"

"I'm coming in. Approaching starboard landing bay, speed one six two, checkers red."

"Viper-" Hoshi began, but Lieutenant Thorton cut him off.

"Sir," he shouted to Dee, "Viper eight five nine is coming in from the opposite trajectory." He grabbed his headset. "Viper eight five nine, pull out and circle back around!"

"What?" Thumper's deep voice was shaken. "What the- frak!"

"Thumper! Pull out!" Narcho was shouting. "Get out of here! What the-"

Hoshi tapped in a code and gripped his headpiece. "All hands clear the starboard deck. Incoming entanglement, all hands clear the starboard landing bay NOW!" He flipped the speakers on so they could all hear the situation.

"We're landing," Narcho's voice filled the CIC. "Pull up on your throttle, Thumper. Pull up, damn it! We're coming in, so hang on tight."

The sound of screeching metal filled Dee's ears, like fingernails up a chalkboard. She wanted to cringe, but the thought of what could be happening right now kept her almost paralyzed. The entire CIC was still until the comm unit went silent.

Hoshi was the first to speak. "Narcho. Narcho, report in now. Noel!"

"What the frak, Thumper?" they heard Narcho shouting, and Dee exhaled a sigh of relief. "That's a frakking nugget mistake and you should have your godsdamned wings taken off and tossed down the shitter, do you hear me!"

Dee nodded, and Hoshi flipped the speaker off. "I'd better get down there. Mr. Hoshi, you have the deck."

"Should I call the Commander in here, sir?" Hoshi asked.

"Have him meet me down on the landing bay."

"Aye, sir."

Dee walked out of the CIC, but as soon as she was clear of the glass doors she began to run. She knew it wasn't professional, but at the same time, she was furious.

So was Narcho. She could hear him still shouting as soon as she entered the starboard landing bay. "You frakking piece of shit! I swear to the Gods you have all the brains of a bag of hammers. Yeah, that's right, a frakking bag of hammers! You're so frakking dumb, you sit on the frakking television and watch the couch! You son of a BITCH!"

Lee came up beside Dee. "What happened?" he asked irritably.

"Near collision, locked wings."

Lee sighed heavily. "Everyone all right?"

"It sounds that way, but we've got damage to two birds."

"Well," Lee said, trying to look stern but betraying his true feelings with a half-shrug, "it's not like we don't have time to fix them."

"That's not the point," Dee began, but Lee was already starting down the stairs to the landing bay, where Narcho was still shouting up a storm. She sighed in irritation and followed him down.

Lee snapped into command mode as he strode across the deck. She could see the change come over him- his shoulders straightened, his face hardened, and his stride became more purposeful. It made her smile, despite the seriousness of the situation.

"What the hell is going on here?" Lee demanded. Both pilots snapped to attention. Lee turned to Thumper, who was looking a lot more nervous than Narcho. "What happened?" Lee repeated.

Thumper swallowed hard. "I thought… I mean… I looked and I thought I heard…" he glanced over at Dee. "Lieutenant Hoshi cleared me."

"Hey, wait a minute!" Narcho protested.

Lee turned around to confirm with Dee. "Is that true?"

"No," Dee said definitively. Her eyes narrowed as she studied the pilot. "And may I remind you that misrepresenting another officer is a pretty serious offense."

Thumper swallowed again, and Lee sighed. "You thought you could take shortcuts, didn't you?" he said. "You thought that since this was just a drill, it didn’t matter if you followed all the proper protocol, because it wasn't that serious a situation. Well let me tell you something, Lieutenant," he said, getting right up into Thumper's face, "any time you get into that cockpit, it's serious. I don't care if it's a Cylon attack, a drill, or just a spin around the Fleet for shits and giggles. You frak around like this, you try to take shortcuts, and you endanger your crewmates. And you even try to blame another officer for your mistake again, you end up with brig time, got it?"

"Yes, sir."

Dee waited for him to mete out some sort of punishment, Lee just said, "Dismissed." He turned to Narcho. "You okay?"

"Fine, sir."

"All right. I need to talk to Laird." He glanced at Dee, and Dee fell into step beside him.

"I assume you're going to check the communications logs," he said quietly.

"Of course," Dee reassured him. "But I was listening, and I didn't hear Hoshi clear him." She barely refrained from chewing her lip. "The crew shouldn't be doing things like this. Don't you think-"

"It's normal," Lee said, but they were up to Laird before Dee had a chance to argue. "What's the damage?" he asked Laird.

"Well, it's a little hard to tell just on fist sight," Laird said calmly. "I'll need some time to go over it."

"I know that. Scratches, needs work, or totaled?" Lee clarified.

"Probably needs work. I'll see what I can do." Laird tapped a wrench against his hand, staring at the pile of wreckage. "How fast are you going to need them back up?"

"Immediately," Dee said, as Lee was saying, "How long do you think it will take?"

"Dunno," Laird said, ignoring Dee and looking at the wreckage again. "I can let you know by the end of the day though."

"Thank you, Chief." Lee was already looking satisfied. Dee looked up at him incredulously, but didn't say a word until they were alone in the corridors.

"'How long do you think it will take?'" she repeated. "Are you serious?"

"Sure. It's not like we need them in the air right this second, Dee," Lee said with a sigh, running a hand through his hair. It was starting to get a little shaggy, she noticed. "I mean, we don't even have enough pilots to fly the ones we've got."

Dee bit her tongue so she didn't say That isn't my point. Lee knew it wasn't her point, and in the end, he'd only see the practical aspect of the situation. So she changed the subject. "We're still going over to the Galactica for dinner tonight?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes. My father said that Tigh is joining us as well."

Dee glanced back over her shoulder at the interlocked Vipers, and wondered exactly what the Admiral and the Colonel were going to have to say about that.

***

"It shouldn't have happened at all," Tigh growled. "It's a nugget mistake."

"Thumper was stationed to the Pegasus right before the attacks," Lee said with a shrug. "He's not much more than a nugget."

"The attacks were over a year ago," Tigh said. "That's no excuse."

"Not to mention the number of battles any one pilot has been in," Adama added.

Lee shrugged again, and picked up his wine glass. "He tried to blame Lieutenant Hoshi."

Adama's face darkened. "Did Hoshi have anything to do with it?"

"Not as far as I can tell," Lee said carelessly.

Adama looked at Dee, and Dee shook her head. "No, he didn't. I'm positive on this one, sir. I was in the CIC when it happened and never heard Thumper clear his landing, I checked the communications logs, and the other pilot involved was Lieutenant Allison, and he and Lieutenant Hoshi are very close. Hoshi wouldn't have risked Narcho."

"Yeah, and if Dee agrees that it's not Hoshi…" Lee said with a laugh. "It's not. She'd pin it on him in a second if she could."

Dee kicked him under the table. Tigh looked at her, concerned. "I thought Hoshi had settled down since that stunt on the surface last month."

"He has," Dee said through gritted teeth. "He's still not happy and makes that clear, but he does his job and keeps his mouth shut around me. The CIC is running fine, sir."

Tigh nodded, and Adama looked at Lee. "Sounds like your air group is starting to get sloppy."

"They're not," Lee insisted. "We're running drills."

"How many a day?" Adama pressed.

"Well, it depends," Lee temporized. "It depends on what the pilots need, how much tylium each drill consumes, what the shuttle schedule looks like for the day, what the-"

"We're running two drills every other day, one on the days in between," Dree said factually.

"The pilots are getting in additional stimulator time," Lee said through gritted teeth.

"Scheduled?" Tigh asked.

"Sure," Lee said, as if it mattered.

Adama glanced significantly at Dee. "They could be doing more," she admitted. "Although we've had some issues with conflicts with the Galactica pilots needing time."

"Wouldn't want to step on Galactica's toes," Lee added. His tone was light, but Dee suspected the words were meant to have venom. "Besides," he continued, picking up a roll and tearing it in half, "it's been a month since the official groundbreaking, and there's still nothing. No Cylons."

"They don't creep up over time," Adama said sourly. His glare was dark, and Dee shivered, grateful that she agreed with him. "We'll discuss this in more detail after dinner." Adama picked up his fork. "What else?"

"I've got a few more requests for people to muster out," Lee said. "I'm not sure how many more we can let go, but at the same time…"

"Who's asking?"

"Thorton from the CIC, Porkins and Febernar from the deck gang, and Stinger and Easy from the pilots." Lee smirked. "Stinger and Easy are looking to get married."

"More pilots," Tigh said disapprovingly.

"Pilots want to have lives, too," Lee pointed out.

"They can wait until we decommission the ships. We all have to make sacrifices."

"That's a good five years from now, and people are ready to start new lives. I mean, look at it. All but the two thousand people serving in Fleet skeleton crews are on the ground. Half the people from the Pegasus and the Galactica have mustered out. They're getting schools going, they're getting a hospital together… all the doctors are down there, for crying out loud. All we've got up here are a few medics. And what are people up here going to do for daycare? It's not like we've got any sort of system set up-"

"Is Easy pregnant?" Adama asked sharply.

"Not to my knowledge."

"Then we don't have to worry about it yet."

"Still, sir," Lee said, "I need your approval to turn down the request, if that's what you want me to do."

"If the Cylons attack-" Tigh began.

"The Cylons aren't going to attack!" Lee snapped with impatience. "That's what you keep telling everyone! And honestly? I don't see how they could find us. Even if they knew where New Caprica was, why would they ever think anyone would settle on that frozen mudball?"

Silence settled awkwardly over the table. Dee and Tigh exchanged glances, and Tigh cleared his throat. "Lieutenant," he said, setting aside his plate, "you mentioned some scheduling conflicts with the flight simulator onboard the Pegasus. Why don't you and I resolve that right now?"

"I don't think I could eat another bite until that's sorted, sir," Dee agreed. Adama looked thunderous, and Lee was glaring at him like a sulky teenager. Dee stood up as gracefully as possible and followed Tigh out of the Admiral's quarters and down the hall.

"So," Tigh drawled as he opened the hatch to his quarters, "are you in agreement with your husband that the drills are sufficient?"

"I understand his concern about the tylium supply," Dee said carefully. "But we aren't that tightly rationed. And if the accident today showed anything, it's that we're letting our guard down too far." She bit her lip. "The crew is becoming too lax."

"Good girl." Tigh was sorting through a stack of papers on his desk, but he looked up at her with clear approval. "I assume you're working on convincing Lee."

"Yes, sir," Dee said with the uncomfortable feeling that occasionally mentioning it wasn't exactly what Tigh had in mind.

"Well, I trust you can handle him. The Old Man does, too," Tigh said. "That's why he approved you as XO," he said. "Keep his son in line so he doesn't have to look like he's doing it."

"I didn't know that," Dee said cautiously.

"Yeah, well. You know perfectly well the Admiral would have preferred someone more experienced commanding the Pegasus. Problem is, we don't have anybody that fits the bill. Lee's the best we've got, but he's still not what we need. The Admiral thinks you'll balance him out, keep him on his toes." Tigh's expression turned from approval to beady-eyed expectation. "I don't expect that he's wrong."

"No, sir, he's not," Dee said calmly, although she couldn't deny that she felt odd about it.

"Didn't think so," Tigh grunted. He began spreading out the papers. "I take it you got your problem with Hoshi sorted out?"

"As sorted as it's going to be," Dee answered.

"He's a good officer, would hate to lose him. But it's not good if your crew is blaming him for their mistakes, thinking you'll believe them."

"I'm planning on having words with Thumper myself, sir," Dee assured him. She was still furious that Lee had let that slide.

"Good. Now let's sort this out."

They worked on the schedules for a half hour, taking their time. There was something oddly comforting in standing next to Tigh. Dee could smell the lingering scent of whiskey that always seemed to cling to him, but also soap and grease and a scent that reminded her just a little of her father. Which was odd, because Dee had never, ever thought of Tigh as a father figure before. More like the crazy uncle that everyone invited to family reunions because they had to, and usually regretted it. But Tigh smelled like Galactica, she realized, and even though she'd been on the Pegasus for a few months, Galactica was still home.

***

"Can you believe it?" Lee demanded later, when they were safe in their quarters.

"Believe what?" Dee asked, unbuttoning her uniform jacket.

"My father," Lee said. "Saying that we're too soft. That we're slipping."

"That accident today never should have happened."

"No, but that's Thumper's fault, not mine."

Dee slipped off her uniform pants and pulled on a pair of sweats. Admiral Cain had had a treadmill put into her quarters- at least, it was new enough that Dee assumed it was Cain. She'd taken to using it, not only because of the privacy compared to the gym, but because she hoped that Lee would start thinking it looked like a good idea. She stepped on the treadmill and pressed the buttons, whirring it into action.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Lee asked as he sat down on the bed.

"Colonel Tigh and I went over the simulator schedules," Dee said, starting to run. "It should be pretty easy to give both crews some practice time. And it will sharpen their reflexes without draining the tylium supply."

"Good."

"We should be doing more, though. We need to revamp the drill schedule. We're constantly rerunning the same drills, and-"

"I'll deal with it," Lee said, and although she was sure he meant to sound reassuring, he sounded more dismissive to her ears. Dee wondered which one was real. "You handle the CIC, I'll take care of the pilots, all right? That's what we're both good at."

"Fine."

"Fine." Lee sat back on his hands, watching her run. "Soft," he finally said. "My father's calling me soft. Do you know what he's doing?"

"What?"

"He's approving Stinger and Easy mustering out. They're both good pilots- hell, Stinger's CAG- but he's letting them go down to New Caprica." Lee's voice was dripping with disdain. "He yells at me that we can't consider ourselves safe, that we can't believe that the Cylons have really left us alone, and then he goes and allows our best pilot to leave the service. It doesn't make any sense."

"It doesn't," Dee agreed. She felt like elaborating, but her breath was starting to come hard now. Besides, Lee was impossible on the subject of his father these days.

"You know who he wanted to promote to Pegasus CAG?" Lee demanded. "Hot Dog."

Dee almost stopped at that one. "Hot Dog?" she said. "You're kidding."

"Not in the least."

"Well?"

"Well, what? I told him that that's not on. I'm promoting Captain Case."

"Showboat's a good choice," Dee agreed with that wholeheartedly. "A little more conservative than Stinger, but she's solid."

"She's more than solid," Lee said. "Plus, she's a Pegasus pilot." He didn't look at Dee as he said that, but Dee didn't blame him for thinking it. Bringing in another Galactica transplant for a ranking position would be bad for morale.

He continued to talk as Dee continued her workout. She listened with half her mind, the other half planning meetings already with Showboat and starting to work around the lack of two more pilots. And Laird had given her a report on the supplies that they had left, and she needed to meet with the galley staff to discuss the ration situation….

"You know what else he was bugging me about?" Lee asked, startling Dee back to the room.

"What?"

"Kids."

Dee laughed. "You're joking," she panted. "Not that I don't believe it, but given that you were just arguing over Stinger and Easy-"

"He did have reservations," Lee said, "but he let them go. He's such a pushover when it comes to other peoples' kids."

Dee smirked. "So he wants us to have a baby?" she asked.

"He's definitely interested in the idea, let's just say that."

"Gods, I hope he wouldn't want to be present for the birth," Dee managed, having the most unpleasant image of herself splayed out on an infirmary bed and Adama watching as she pushed another life out. She shuddered, and then suddenly realized this was something she and Lee had never talked about. "Do you even want kids?" she asked.

Lee shrugged. "Of course," he said, not quite looking at her. "Some day." He shrugged it off, sighed and stood up. "You going to be much longer?"

"Another fifteen minutes. Do you want it after I'm done?" Dee asked hopefully.

"No, I was just going to head down to the ready room. I want to meet with Showboat and discuss how we're changing the drills."

"By all means," Dee said, waving her hand, "go on."

Lee gave her a smile and then headed out the door, and Dee turned her attention back to the treadmill.

***

"So how are things working out under Showboat?" Dee asked Narcho a week after Stinger and Easy had mustered out. "You been okay?"

"Fine. Why?" Narcho grunted as he chipped away the black coke on the piston.

"You've been stomping around and snapping at everyone and generally unpleasant since they left."

"Yeah, well, I've got a lot on my mind," Narcho said. He scowled at the piston. "Piece of shit I've got here. I'm not sure if I can get it clean enough. Besides," he said after a long pause, "I'm not exactly thrilled Cole's deserted."

Dee nodded understanding. "How about the drills?"

Narcho sighed frustration. "You know we've been cutting back on them, right?"

"No…" Dee said, drawing out the syllable. "Lee told me that he's been restructuring them, and I thought-"

"Nope. He's cutting back. In interest of preserving equipment and resources." Narcho made a face. "I mean, the Commander's got a point, and believe me, I'm grateful for a lot of what he's done here. It's just…" Narcho shook his head.

"It's just what?" Dee asked.

Narcho tossed the piston to the ground. "Piece of shit," he said again. "It's just that I can't shake the feeling those frakking bastards are coming for us. Why are we believing that they aren't? Because one of them said so?" He snorted. "Sorry, but after they blew up twenty billion people, I can't believe too strongly in a change of conscience. The Commander is a lot more trusting than I am."

"He's caught between a rock and a hard place," Dee said.

"Yeah, well, he'd better pick one and throw himself against it," Narcho said darkly. He picked the piston up again. "I've got to get some solvent for this. Frakking piece of shit."

Dee was inclined to agree.

***

"Lee!"

Lee looked up from the bowl of noodles he was concentrating on when Dee slammed the door open. "What?" he asked.

"Are you cutting back on drills?"

"I told you, Dee, I've got the pilots covered."

"Lee, we've talked about this. We agreed it's not a good idea. I know you-"

"Don't even say it, Dee," he warned.

"Your father-"

"Frak what my father thinks, all right? This is my ship, not his, and I'll run it the way I see fit!"

"But he's your commanding officer! And-"

"Enough! Let's not go through this again!" Lee shouted. "Just… just stick to the CIC, okay Dee? Leave the pilots the frak alone. I've got it covered!"

There was no moving him. Dee could see it in his face and in the set of his jaw. It didn't make him look at all attractive, she realized. More like a sulky child. She realized that was a phrase that was occurring to her more and more these days.

"Fine," she said. She grabbed her workout bag. "I'm going down to the gym."

"Fine," Lee said, sitting back down to his dinner and his reports. "I'll see you later."

"Fine." Dee wished that it was possible to slam the hatch behind her. She slung her bag over her shoulder and walked down to the gym.

The gym was empty when she let herself in. Not surprising, as most people were eating right about now. She wrapped her hands, and started punching the heavy bag. She wasn't normally a boxer, but she damn well had to hit something.

"If I blow on it, maybe you can get it to move."

Dee sighed. "I'm not in the mood for your shit, Hoshi."

"Too bad." She noticed he had his own wraps on. "I'm taking the other side."

"Daring," she said, still punching the bag. "What if I 'accidentally' miss?"

"Oooh, you might graze one of my whiskers. Good thing I remembered to shave today."

"You're actually capable of growing facial hair?" Dee asked.

He started to throw a few warm up punches. "I've got nothing on you, I'll admit."

"You're so funny," Dee said dryly. "Don't know why we have such dull days in the CIC when we've got a comic genius like you around."

"Wouldn't have so many dull days if your husband would get off his fat ass and run air drills." Dee pounded harder, her eyes fixed on the bag. Hoshi stopped for a moment and studied her. "So, you agree with me," he said, chuckling.

"Not saying I do," Dee said. She stopped for a moment, wiping her brow on her arm. "But if I did, there's only so much I can do. I'm not the Commander."

"No, you're the Commander's wife." Hoshi started punching. "And that gives you some measure of power."

"Not really. No more than any other XO."

Hoshi made a rude snorting noise. "I'll bet you could get Commander Adama to do things that Colonel Tigh could never get Admiral Adama to do."

Dee eyed him suspiciously. "This isn't one of those 'you slept your way to the top' things again, is it?"

Hoshi stopped punching and shrugged. "Why not? In for a carrot, in for the stew, my mother always said."

"Wow. That's-"

"Shut up."

It took Dee a few minutes to process that one. Then she shook her head. "So what are you getting at?"

"You've got a hold over the Commander that no one else has, whether you admit it or not. Use it."

"What? 'Make the pilots run drills or no sex for you?'" Dee asked incredulously.

Hoshi grinned wickedly. "Now you're catching on."

"Oh my Gods. You're joking."

"No. I'm not." And he really didn't look it- the expression on his face was dead serious.

Dee shook her head again and started pounding away again. "I don't believe you. I really don't believe you. That's really mature, Hoshi. Exactly the kind of trust and respect I want in my marriage."

"Why not? It's not like you've got much else."

Dee grabbed the bag, holding it still. "What the frak do you mean by that?" she demanded.

Hoshi leaned against the wall. There was something in his eyes she hadn't seen since he'd gotten out of the brig the last time; a true bitterness that made him look hard and reckless. "You've seen him," he said. "The way he's let himself go. Normally I'd find it incredibly bad manners to comment on someone's weight gain, but with Adama? It's about as obvious a sign that he doesn't give a frak about anything- including you- as you can get. He's letting himself go, he's letting the Pegasus go… he's letting everything go. He's been like this since about the time of the Founder's Day ceremony. And you're just letting him do it."

Dee stood still, her entire body frozen, blood roaring in her ears. There must have been something in her face, because Hoshi took a step backwards.

"Get. Out," she said slowly.

There was no violence she could have visited on him; he was taller, heavier and stronger. But he backed away, picked up his bag, and left the room. Dee waited until she heard the door clang shut and then sat down, wiping at her face. She stayed there for a long time, and then eventually stood and gathered her own things together.

The Pegasus looked strange to her when she walked through it. It was like the life was gone, and when she looked at the faces of the crew, she wondered if everyone was just going through the motions.

The feeling would pass, Dee knew that. It would pass just as soon as she saw Lee again, and they put everything right between them. She'd see him, he'd smile, and they'd kiss and make up and everything would go back to normal.

Except that she'd always known she wasn't his first choice, and she couldn't help but wonder if that was part of what was slowly killing him inside.

***

"Commander," Gage said, "there's a call coming in from Colonial One. It's the President." A definite snicker ran through the CIC, and Dee and Lee rolled their eyes at each other. Lee picked up his headset, and Dee turned away to consult her notes.

"What did Baltar want?" she asked when Lee finally came over to her side.

"To remind me he's President and doesn't want to take any of our crap," Lee said rolling his eyes. "Specifically, it was something about medical supplies. I sent a shipment down earlier today."

"Oh." Dee was studying her roster. She looked over at Gage, and then looked back at her roster again. "Where's Hoshi?" she asked. "Roster says he's working today."

"Shore leave," Lee answered. "Admiral approved it. Worked out well enough- I sent the supplies down with him."

Dee shook her head at that bit of thoroughness on Hoshi's part. "Do you have an inventory of the medical supplies you sent down?" she asked.

"Yeah, it's right here," Lee handed her the paper.

"We're not sending down very much," Dee said dubiously.

"Well, there's not much to be had. And I suppose, since you're so adamant about keeping our birds in the air, that we'd better make sure our pilots don't get sick. Or any of the rest of the crew."

Dee stared at him incredulously. "Thank you," she said, a little stiffly. "You won't regret it."

"I hope I do," Lee said, arching his eyebrows.

Dee smiled.

***

"Dee," Lee said. "It's taken him two days, but Baltar is finally coming up here to whine about me not releasing more meds. We need to meet with him."

Dee groaned. "Great," she said, rubbing her neck. She put aside her reports and stood up from her desk. "When's the shuttle due?"

"In about fifteen minutes. I suppose," Lee said, heaving a sigh, "since it's the President of the Colonies, ee should greet him in person." He sounded less than enthused.

"I suppose. Let's go."

They walked companionably down to the hangar deck, Lee idly relating some of the gossip he'd heard from Galactica. When they arrived, Dee spotted Narcho, sitting on a box and holding a wrench loosely between his hands.

"Hey Narcho," Dee said as they approached. "What are you doing?"

Narcho shrugged. "Just waiting for the shuttle," he said.

"Looking for an autograph from President Baltar?" Dee joked.

Narcho snorted. "Funny." They heard the hangar open, and Narcho jumped up and walked in with them.

The Raptor docked, and Narcho started forward as soon as the door opened. It made sense when Hoshi stepped out. He misjudged the step, his leg twisting under him. Narcho darted forward and caught him, helping him move away from the Raptor.

"You okay?" he asked.

"Yeah," Hoshi said, nodding. "It was nothing."

Narcho's face lit up, and he hugged him tight. "A little over enthusiastic for a missed step," Dee muttered to Lee, who barely smiled, and then groaned as Tom Zarek climbed out of the Raptor. Dee echoed the sentiment as Felix followed, and then finally, Baltar.

"Great," Lee whispered. "He brought the guys who are actually competent." But his eyes lit up, and if Dee didn't know better, she'd think he was glad this wasn't going to be so easy. Lee straightened up to attention. "President Baltar," he said loudly. "Welcome to the Pegasus."

"Thank you." Baltar seemed sharper than Dee remembered, shaved, pulled together, and actually looking like the scientist who had done so much work back on the Colonies. It contrasted sharply with the last time she'd seen him on New Caprica, when he'd been disheveled and unshaven. She glanced at Felix, wondering how much he'd had to do with this. "But I'm afraid it's not overly good to see you, Commander. We have a bone to pick with you."

"I look forward to it," Lee said, raising his chin.

Felix was watching Lee. His eyes had widened, and for a moment Dee wondered exactly what he saw. Then she realized he hadn't seen Lee since the ground breaking, and the weight gain was sudden to his eyes. He looked shocked and a little disgusted. Dee cringed at that.

"If you'll follow me," Lee said to the three delegates from the ground. Dee glanced back over her shoulder. Narcho and Hoshi were still talking, now about Stinger and Easy. She noticed neither of them sounded overly happy about them being on New Caprica, and sighed. More things to worry about.

"How are you holding up, Dee?" Felix asked her quietly as they walked to the conference room.

"I'm fine," she said lightly. "How about you?" She glanced at Baltar significantly. "Looks like you've prepared well for this meeting."

He sighed. "You know this isn't going to be a fun one, right?"

"I knew it once you and Zarek got off the Raptor."

They exchanged glances, and then Felix moved over to say something to Zarek, and Dee drifted back to Lee's side. "You ready for this?" she asked Lee.

Lee smiled down at her. "You bet," he said, in a voice that sounded like he was ready to take on the world. Dee grinned.

***

"You," Dee said when they were alone later that night, "were fantastic today." She slid her arms around Lee's neck. "As long as I live, I will never forget the look on Baltar's face when he left."

"He wasn't happy, was he?" Lee said smugly. "Neither were Zarek and Gaeta."

Dee sighed. "I know. It's not like they don't have a point. But the crew has to stay healthy. If we start losing them, we're sitting ducks up here."

Lee kissed her. "It's not a good situation for anyone. But let's not think about that right now. I think," he said, and scooped her up, "there are much more interesting things we could be doing with our time right now."

"Is that so?" Dee teased.

"It is. And it's been a while."

"Well, let's remedy that right now," Dee suggested, delighted at the change in him.

Lee was completely agreeable.

***

Dee woke up the next morning singing, her good mood carrying her through her shower and her breakfast. Yesterday proved it- Hoshi was dead wrong when he said Lee was letting everything go. He just needed something to fight, that was all. If she could keep him challenged, then everything would be all right.

She sat down at her desk and consulted her schedule. She had a briefing with Laird, and then she was handling a meeting with Seargent Norris on the status of the Pegasus marines. Followed by a meeting with Nurse Rashid about medical supplies and patient status, and her birth control shot.

And right then, the answer hit her square between the eyes.

A baby.

A baby was exactly what Lee needed right now. It would be new hope, a new future. And most certainly a challenge. And the Admiral… Dee smiled as she imagined his reaction. She had always assumed children would be involved, and Lee had said he wanted kids, too. Why not now?

With a steady, deliberate hand she drew a line through the reminder for her shot.

***

Noel loaded the shiny, finished motorcycle into the Raptor. Eight months of work, and it was finally ready to go. Dee watched with eager eyes, and then climbed into the front seat.

"It's just… it's almost like a cycle." Dee continued as Noel lifted them off. "Everything's going great, and then he starts getting into this funk where nothing matters. And all he can do is exist."

"And eat," Noel said. Dee smacked him on the arm. "Sorry. But doesn't it bother you? He's really packed on the pounds, Dee."

"Thanks for the sensitivity, Noel," Dee said crossly. "It bothers me," she admitted. "But not like you think. It's not so much the weight as it is the attitude that goes with it."

Noel made a face. "The weight would bother me."

"Okay, my husband's fat and you find that unattractive, I get it."

"No, you don't. I mean, if I had a significant other, I wouldn't let that happen to me. It really says a lot about how you think of them. He should be wanting to keep you all hot and bothered, because there are plenty of good looking Viper pilots who would do you in a heartbeat if he turned his back long enough."

"Oh? Like who?" Dee asked skeptically.

"Um, there's… ah… Thumper."

"You said good looking."

"Roundabout?"

"With Emmins."

"All right, all right. So I'm making that part up. But seriously, he's been putting weight on for the past six months. I'm just saying-"

"Look. When you love someone, the appearance isn't the important thing. Yes, I wish Lee would lose the weight. I really do. But I can live with it, as long as he's still Lee."

"Hmm." They broke orbit, and Noel started the landing prep. "And that baby thing?"

"Shove it, Noel. I'm sorry I ever told you."

"Sorry." He landed the Raptor in silence. "Come on," he said, as the exhaust let out its last puff, "I'll make it up to you. You can have the first ride."

"I was getting it anyway," Dee said. But she jumped out of her seat and wait impatiently while Noel unloaded the motorcycle. He looked like a little kid with his first bicycle, at least if the excitement on his face was anything to judge by. He kicked off his flight suit, pulled on an old leather jacket, and put on a pair of sunglasses. One of the lenses was cracked, but it only showed up if the light hit it just right. "Well, babe?" Noel said, extending his hand. "Want a ride?"

"Okay. That's really hot," Dee confessed. She climbed aboard, wrapping her arms around Noel's waist. "This thing isn't going to blow up on us, is it?"

"I hope not," he said. He turned the key, and the engine roared to life. "So far, so good. Let's ride."

The wind whipped around them, bitterly cold and gray. Dee's hair flew out behind her, and she suspected she was going to have some incredible tangles to work out later, but the feeling as the motorcycle roared over the dirt was completely intoxicating and she decided that she didn't care at all. This was what they'd been working for: this speed, this wind, this freedom. Dee closed her eyes and tilted her face to the wind, shouting in delight.

They roared past a construction site, and envious hoots followed them in their wake. She caught a brief glimpse of Tyrol, heavy beard and a hard hat, although he didn't look amused. Dee didn't care. It was so easy to forget everything and just to enjoy.

They rode around the entire settlement, in all its ragged glory. They passed Colonial One, sitting up on a hill like a decaying palace. Dee hoped Felix was inside and could see them going by. They drove by the water reclamation plant, the hydroelectric plant, and the complex that would become apartments. Here and there Dee saw familiar faces, people from the Galactica and the Pegasus that had left. She spotted Kara, her hair long and disorderly, looking pale and drawn, and she couldn't help the tiny grin that she hid in Noel's shoulder.

They rode until the sun began to set, and they knew they were due back up on the Pegasus in fifteen minutes. Dee finally climbed off the bike, her legs and butt numb from the vibrations.

"That was fantastic. Thank you, Noel," she said.

"Hey, any time." Noel gave her a cocky grin. "You did do a lot of the work," he allowed, which for Noel was a fairly big concession.

"Is that how I rated first ride over Hoshi?" Dee asked.

Noel was guiding the motorcycle back on to the Raptor. "Hoshi's not getting a ride. I'll let him drive it, but no ride."

"Why not?"

Noel smiled. "It's something we used to do all the time when we were together and had shore leave. It had a lot of meaning for us, y'know? Some things you just can't go back to."

In the eight months that Dee had been friends with Noel, she'd learned a lot about him. She knew about his childhood, his parents, his first boyfriend, his once-upon-a-time desire to eventually retire from the military and open a garage. But he very, very rarely spoke of his relationship with Hoshi, a fact which only increased her curiosity about it. "Afraid it will rekindle things?"

"We're way past that. It's just not right," he said firmly, and Dee knew she wasn't getting any more out of him. "Come on- get in. We've got to get you home to your husband in time for supper. And maybe you can make him jealous. If he'd seen how you looked on the bike, I think he would be."

Dee thought about Lee on the motorcycle and had to admit it just wasn't the same. "Yeah," she sighed. "Let's go home. No supper, but I've got a shift in CIC. Adama's sending Tigh down to New Caprica tomorrow, and I have to make sure things aren't going to fall apart between the two ships without him in the CIC."

On to Part 4