Title: Sisters
A Cutting Room Floor Story from "Lost Planet of the Gods"
Author: Melissa
Rating: PG
Summary: A new bond is forged in a time of tragedy

Disclaimer: I don't anticipate trouble but, if any should occur, the
Co-President of the OAD is a lawyer.

     Athena slid down from her viper onto the sandy ground beneath it.
She took a deep breath, wanting to savor the fresh air that was
non-existent aboard the Galactica. She looked around at what would
appeared to be a barren wasteland to the naked eye, but she knew that
her father saw more. And it was through his eyes that Athena saw not a
lost civilization, but an area rich in history that possibly held the
key to their salvation.
     Adama's love of ancient history, especially concerning the
ancestors of the Lords of Kobol and the Thirteenth Tribe, had been
instilled in her over the past few yahrens through late night stories
and innate artifacts he had collected. When the fleet had cleared the
void and Kobol appeared, it was if she had seen a ray of light beaming
from his eyes, very much like the star that had appeared to them on
the night of Apollo and Serina's sealing. 
     Now, as her father's shuttle landed on the arid planet, Athena
hoped beyond hope that he would find what he was looking for. Beyond
Apollo and Serina finding happiness with each other, there had been
little to celebrate over the past few sectons and it was getting
harder and harder for Athena to hold on. First Zac, then her
mother... and now Starbuck.
     When Apollo had returned, Athena had listened in helpless silence
as he told her that Starbuck had not returned with him and Serina. She
remembered how she had just stood there, too much in shock to show any
emotion. Apollo, on the other hand, had been trembling with despair,
his eyes searching hers for comfort, to which he found none. She
remembered thinking that if she closed her eyes for a centon, she could
find a way to waken from the nightmare she was having. But when she
opened them, there was Apollo, standing in front of her, forcing her to
face her worst fears. And while her brother attempted to embrace her,
all she could do was turn and walk away, leaving him alone with his
anguish. 
     She hadn't cried, she hadn't turned to anyone for comfort. A
coldness in her heart had been building since she had heard Zac's
screams, since she had seen her home destroyed, since she had seen
her love in the arms of another woman. And yet the anger she had felt
towards Starbuck had all but vanished as Apollo, in a broken voice,
had told her, "He's gone." 
     Athena felt a rage burning inside her as Apollo and Serina
greeted the Commander. Since becoming wingmates, and especially since
their sealing, Serina hadn't left Apollo's side. 'Damn you Starbuck!'
she yelled at his memory. 'I'm your wingman! Why didn't you take me
with you?!' She fought back tears as she tried to hide her pain from
both her family and the rest of the squadron that had also landed on
the planet. She had chided herself for her momentary outburst on the
bridge after Zac's death and, while forgiving herself later, she had
decided to wear her professional persona from then on, even at the risk
of alienating her friends and family. At the rate things were going,
she would lose most of them soon anyway. Best to start distancing
herself now.
     A tear forced itself down her cheek as she remembered the first
victim of that decision. Again, Starbuck refused to leave her mind.
She felt that at any moment she would fall to her knees and begin
uncontrollably sobbing. But seeing her father and the fire of impending
discovery in his eyes gave her the strength to compose herself, wipe
whatever tears had escaped, and resolve that she had made the right
decision.
     'Look what would have happened had you said yes,' she concluded,
recalling Starbuck's flustered proposal. 'You might be a widow now and
feel a lot worse.' She sighed, an emptiness enveloping her as she
realized that that was not possible. 'Besides,' she reconciled in an
attempt to replace sorrow with anger, 'he obviously didn't love me
_that_ much or he wouldn't have ended up with... her.'
     Athena decided that she could maintain some sense of control if
she kept the image of Starbuck and Cassiopeia in the launch tube in the
forefront of her mind. She walked over towards her father's shuttle to
join her family, hoping that Adama's enthusiasm of finding Kobol would
wipe _all_ images of Starbuck from her mind, if only for a little
while.
     "So," she uttered as she approached the trio, "where do we begin?"
     Getting right down to work, Adama replied, "We should first survey
the surrounding area from our present location. From this vantage point,
we should be able to find some sort of pattern to the ruins.
     "The books tell of our ancestors grouping the great tombs
together," he reasoned as he moved off to stand on the edge of the
hill they had landed on.
     Athena watched as her father appeared to transform from the
weakened man she had seen recently to the strong and optimistic leader
that had always inspired her. And regardless of her own heartbreak,
Adama's zeal was contagious.
     Assuming that Apollo and Serina would pair up to explore the area,
Athena moved towards her father, only to be stopped by Serina's hand on
her arm.
     "Apollo," Serina turned to her new husband, "why don't you go with
father? Athena and I will scout out the area on the other side of this
hill."
     Apollo was a bit surprised by his wife's request. Since their
sealing, and Starbuck's assumed demise, he and Serina had been
inseparable. But he knew that Serina had grown very close to Athena
and was very worried about her. Apollo was as well but had found that
he couldn't look his sister in the eye without seeing Starbuck and he
was having a hard enough time coming to terms with the death of his
best friend, a reason why he was slightly hesitant to let Serina out
of his sight now.
     He turned Serina so that she was completely facing him and took
her hands in his. "I want you to be extra careful," he urged, a
concerned, almost pained, expression on his face. "This planet may
appear deserted but... I've learned not to trust appearances lately."
     "Don't worry Captain," Serina smiled, a hint of tears in her eyes.
"We're together forever now and nothing will ever break that bond."
     Athena watched the scene with a mixture of elation and confusion.
What stood before her was the only sign that there was hope left in
their world, and yet she didn't know where Serina was finding the
strength to pull herself away from her husband. 
     But with a gentle kiss, Serina left Apollo's embrace and led
Athena away from the remaining men of the Adama clan. Athena knew that
Serina had an ulterior motive for getting her alone. She figured that
Serina wanted to share tidbits about her wedding night and was prepared
to engage in some frivolous "girl talk".
     "I was hoping we might get a chance to be alone," Serina began as
they walked down the hill towards what appeared to be the ruins of a
theater.
     "Well I hope that you and _Apollo_ have had some time to be
alone," Athena eyed her new sister with sly suggestion.
     "We have," Serina couldn't help but smile, "but that's not why I
wanted to talk to you."
     "Oh?" Athena responded curiously.
     Serina stopped and, again placing a hand on Athena's arm, turned
her so they were facing each other. The smile that had been on Serina's
face just microns before was gone.
     "How are you Athena?" she asked, her voice filled with concern.
     Athena felt her body tense up. "I don't know what you mean
Serina... I'm fine..."
     "No you're not," Serina interrupted, her grip on Athena's arm
tightening. "And no one expects you to be."
     "And just what _do_ they expect Serina?!" Athena snapped, breaking
free from her sister's grip. "Am I supposed to be locked up in my
quarters, grieving for a man who never loved me?!"
     "Athena, you know that's not true," Serina followed her, wanting
to comfort her in some way. "He did love you, probably more than you
realize."
     "No Serina, you're wrong," Athena declared, staring out at the
vastness of the desert beyond the ruins. "How could he have loved me
and then...," her voice trailed as she fought back the tears she had
been able to control earlier.
     "It doesn't matter anyway," she shook her head of the painful
images. "He's gone now and..." her voice broke, tears threatening once
again.
     "Not in your heart," Serina grabbed Athena's shoulders from
behind, her own voice breaking. She knew that Athena had been bottling
up her emotions since the Destruction. Apollo had told her that Athena
had retreated into an unpenetrable shell and he feared that losing
Starbuck would keep her there. 
     Athena broke away from Serina and walked over to a cluster of
large stone blocks, sitting down on one of them and burying her head
in her hands. 
     'So much like Apollo,' Serina sighed, following her sister and
sitting on the large stone beside her.
     "I know you have your doubts Athena," Serina admitted. "Starbuck's
actions weren't always... well..." she trailed off. Rehashing the man's
infidelities weren't going to help matters. "But I know he loved you,"
she declared, placing a hand on Athena's knee.
     "That's nice to think, but we'll never know for sure now," Athena
conceded, her words muffled as she continued to cover her face with her
hands.
     "But we do know," Serina grabbed Athena's wrists, forcing her
hands down. "_I_ know. "He told me he loved you," she finally revealed,
the intensity in her eyes confirming her words.
     Athena stared at her in silence, her heart leaping into her
throat.
     "After that first mission we all flew, after you had left the
Officer's Club and gone to bed, Apollo had gone to formally brief
Colonel Tigh on the squadron's performance, leaving Starbuck and I
alone," Serina explained. "He had a lively grin on his face and I
couldn't help but offer him a cubit for his thoughts," she herself
couldn't suppress a grin of her own now, thinking fondly of the lost
warrior.
     "He told me how he had initially hated the thought of losing
Apollo as his wingman," she admitted. "But that after flying with you,
he realized that he wouldn't miss Apollo all that much. He said that,
after everything that had happened, he was so happy to have you back in
his life, even if it was only in a professional capacity."
     Athena turned her head and closed her eyes, but still said
nothing. Serina's words were swimming in her head, her eyes stinging
with sadness.
     "Athena," Serina continued softly, "I haven't known Starbuck for
very long but, when he talked about you that night, he had a light in
his eyes that I had never seen. He loved you so very much."
     "Then why did he give up on me?!" Athena finally broke her silence,
tears bursting forth.
     "He didn't give up on you! He gave up on himself!" Serina
exclaimed, throwing her arms around Athena, trying to console her. "He
hated himself for hurting you Athena," she whispered. "He said he
would've given anything to erase the past."
     "Serina," Athena sobbed, "I miss him so much."
     "I know," Serina replied, strengthening her embrace. "But he lives
in your heart."
     Serina released Athena suddenly and held her sister's head in her
hands, forcing their eyes to meet. "And don't think for a micron that
his last thoughts weren't of you and how much he loved you," she
asserted, her own tears streaming down her face.
     Athena closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her pain was so
deep she felt as if she might die at that moment. A part of her already
had.
     And yet something in her heart was playing tricks with her mind.
She had felt a sudden emptiness when Zac had died, a tragedy she had
witnessed. And she had felt a stabbing in her heart long before they
had arrived at Caprica, somehow sensing her mother's death as well. But
she had not experienced that sudden void upon Starbuck's disappearance
and, while she tried to dispel her foolish suspicions, her heart kept
screaming at her that he was still alive.
     But she refused to listen. She couldn't. 
     Athena took another deep breath and brought her hands up to wipe
the tears from her face. Suddenly sensing a change in her sister's
demeanor, Serina released her and leaned back onto the stone beneath
her. 'She's putting that wall back up again,' she sighed.
     "The sun is starting to go down," Serina observed. "Why don't we
go find Apollo and Adama?"
     "You go," Athena replied, forming a slight smile. "I'd like to
sit here for a bit."
     Serina smiled back at her and said, "You know, if you think I'm
going to let you go through this alone, you are sorely mistaken."
     Athena's smile widened, this time without force. "You're as
persistent as Zac," she chuckled. "I wouldn't be surprised if he sent
you here to keep me in line.
     "I'll be okay," Athena insisted. "I just want to watch the sunset,
don't know when I'll get the chance next. Go be with Apollo."
     Serina eyed her sister curiously. Perhaps all she had needed was a
good cry and someone to talk to. Not wanting to force the issue, and
knowing that there would be plenty more opportunities to talk in the
future, she decided to grant Athena's request for some solitude. Taking
a cue from her husband, Serina's expression turned matronly. "Promise
me you'll go find Dietra and Brie when it gets dark?"
     "Yes ma'am," Athena rolled her eyes, teasing the mother of one
precocious little boy.
     "I'll see you later," Serina laughed as she rose and began walking
back up the hill.
     "You can count on it," Athena vowed, feeling a kinship she hadn't
experienced before. While she had grown up with two, well... three,
older brothers, Athena had always longed for a sister. And by the grace
of the Lords of Kobol, she had been given that sister at a time when
she needed it most. 
     Athena looked out over the horizon at the lush orange and purple
hues that were now blazing across the sky. "Oh Starbuck, can you ever
forgive me?" she sighed. Her eyes widened as she felt a sudden burst of
warmth from the sun as it continued to lower itself behind the pyramid
structures in the distance. In a way, it felt as if she had been
embraced by someone. She didn't know why, but she couldn't help but
smile.

THE END