~BSG: The Road Not Taken
They stood toe to toe in her cell.
“You’re too stupid to figure out you just screwed over the one ally you had. You didn’t have the guts to hold on. Tell me who’s gonna help you?” Adama hissed.
“Yeah, frak me, huh?” Kara said softly. “Sure as hell isn’t gonna be you. You’ve got to remind yourself that you’re somebody else. The President’s wet nurse.”
Enraged, Bill suddenly grabbed fistfuls of her jacket and slammed her violently to the floor.
“Nice to know you still care, Admiral.”
~*~
They faced each other on the flight deck.
“I can’t take the chance that you’re right and not do something about it,” Bill said. “I’m giving you a ship.”
Kara met his gaze. “So you think I’m right?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. But I know she is-the President. She’s been right all along. I’m tired of losing. I’m tired of turning away from the things I want to believe in. And I believe you when you say that you’ll die before you stop trying” Bill held her gaze. “And I won’t lose you again. Now go. Find a way to Earth.”
~*~
“Captain.” The sound of his voice startled her, snapping her out of the mélange of memories, dragging her reluctantly back to the present.
She stood at attention before him. “Sir!”
She was stiff and uncomfortable, and she was making him stiff and uncomfortable when all he wanted to do was relax and enjoy the solitude of his quarters. “At ease,” Bill said as he unbuttoned his jacket. “What can I help you with, Starbuck?”
With a deep breath, she seemed to steel herself. “Sam said I’m the Harbinger of Death,” she said quietly.
Bill raised an eyebrow. “An omen of impending death and destruction. Well, I think the first nuke to hit Caprica pretty much sealed that deal, and you had nothing to do with it.”
She took a shuddering breath. “I don’t know what I am, sir.” Her words were a whisper. A tear betrayed her and she looked away.
He paused. “For what it’s worth, I don’t believe you’re a Cylon. Neither does the president.” Stepping closer, he tipped her chin up and held her gaze. “You don’t know what you are? Then let me remind you. Ace Viper pilot. Fearless.”
“I’ve known fear.” Her voice trembled.
“The things we fear the most have already happened to us. It’s the fear of the unknown that blinds people.” He sighed. “Kara,” he said gently, “it’s not important what you are. It’s who you are that matters.”
“Do you know who I am? I don’t. Tell me. Tell me who I am.” Her eyes sparkled with tears; she blinked them away.
Gently he brushed her hair behind her ear. “Kara Thrace,” he said. “A fine young woman who loved my son Zak. Who loves my son Lee.”
She froze.
Bill reached out and put his hands on her bowed shoulders. With a gentle squeeze, he pulled her closer. “True feelings aren’t exposed very much. Not without a lot of embarrassment.” He smiled. “You’re brave and honest and driven. You test limits, break rules, and live life fast and hard. You’re ‘Starbuck,’ he said simply. “If you were anyone else, I wouldn’t know you.”
A slight smile graced her pallid face.
“Love and truth can turn tragedy into hope for the future.” He pulled her into a strong embrace and then let her go. “I believe in who you are. You need to believe, too.”
~*~
The Old Man didn’t believe in destiny; she was on the fence. Gods or God-she wasn’t sure anymore. Maybe in the end, none of it mattered.
Alone in the observation lounge, she stood before the expanse of windows, staring out at the diamond pinpoints of light. Kara Thrace had spent a lifetime running away-from herself. Hiding behind the hard-ass persona of Starbuck was easy. It was time to stop. It was time to believe and have faith in the woman she was.
She held the book the Admiral had gifted her-the collected works of a poet from Areilon.
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by…
Maybe, just maybe there was still time.
To make a difference.
~finis~