TITLE: The Stolen Child

CHARACTERS: Lee, Helo.

Rating: K

NOTE: Spoilers for early season three.

Speculation on how some things might play out based on the latest spoilers for season three.

For Sebaceanbabe as I promised her Lee and Helo interaction ages ago, but never got round to it. Thanks to Greycoupon for the uber-quick beta

Come away, oh human child!

To the woods and waters wild,

With a fairy hand in hand,

For the world's more full of weeping than you can understand.

W.B. Yeats - The Stolen Child

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Helo was angry. More than simple anger, enraged. He roared and threw the chair across the small room.

How dare they? How could they do this? Bastards. What right did they have?

He fell to the floor and sobbed. He had trusted Adama, given him his loyalty, and this was how he had repaid him. He shook with anger.

Sharon was right. They would never accept her, never trust them. After all he had done, they had done, this was how they treated him. They had taken his child, told him she was dead. He had mourned her, grieved for her, and all the while, she was alive, hidden from them. He leaned his head back against the locker and closed his eyes.

Bastards, bastards, bastards...

He had no idea how long he sat like that. All he knew was he felt betrayed, violated. They did not trust him. They stole his child from him. He heard the door to the room opening and the murmur of hushed voices, but he ignored them, hoping they would go away. He did not want to talk to anyone right now. Finally after a short time, he opened his eyes,and was surprised to see Lee Adama leaning against the table before him.

"What do you want?" He snarled at the Commander.

"I wanted to see if you were okay?" Apollo's voice was low and quiet.

"How do you think I feel?" Helo replied bitterly.

Apollo looked away for a second,considering, and then answered.

"You have every right to feel angry," he sighed deeply. "It was wrong. I'm sorry."

Helo ground his teeth.

"Did your father send you here to tell me that?"

"I'm not here for my father, or Roslin, or anyone else."

"But you knew about this."

Apollo looked shocked.

"No, of course not. Is that what you think of me? That I would support something like this..."

"You've made no secret about how you feel about Sharon."

"I won't lie to you. I'd throw her out the airlock today if I could. I don't trust her and she's leading you round by the balls."

Karl growled and made to stand up. Frakked if he was going to take this.

"But," Apollo's voice was hard, "I was not involved in this." He stopped. "No one should have a child taken away from them. It was wrong. I just wanted you to know that."

He turned to leave.

Helo sighed. He did not understand this man at all.

Apollo stopped and then turned back to face Helo again.

"I know how this is going to sound, but you got her back. The Gods gave you a second chance," he paused and took a deep breath. "Some of us weren't that lucky."

Helo looked him in the eyes, and saw a reflection of his own pain and anger there and it hit him. The other man was speaking from experience.

"There was someone I cared for," Apollo looked away, "I made a mistake, something that I can never take back now. And because of that I will never get to see what my child would have been like. I didn't even get a chance to see her, him, born." He shook his head. "The Cylons attacked and I never got a chance to say sorry or be there or get angry."

"I didn't know,"Helo replied, stunned at the man's admission.

"No-one does, not even Kara, and not my old man," Lee answered quickly. "And it stays that way..."

Helo nodded. "Why tell me?"

"Because you needed to know. Because they were wrong in what they did, and I am truly sorry you had to go through that. Don't get me wrong I still don't trust your Cylon, but I do trust you and I respect you. You have every right to be angry, to hate them, but don't make the mistake of thinking the rest of us support what they did."

"Most people will," Helo replied bitterly. "All they will see is that she is half-Cylon. They will just see her as a threat."

Lee nodded. "Yes they will, and she may be, but that's not her fault, and it's not yours. The Cylons play with us. But we are better than they are. We are more than that and we will do the right thing by your child. I promise you that."

He held out his hand to Helo.

Helo stared at it. Apollo was asking a lot. To trust him, a man who made no secret of his hatred of the Cylons, of his hatred of Sharon. But he had always been honest about that, and in the months they had served together trying to save the Fleet, he had always treated him fairly and with respect. Hell, he had even come to respect the Commander himself.

He sighed deeply and then nodded, taking the other man's hand and allowing him to help him up.

"Okay," Helo straightened himself, "but I am not sure I am going to be able to take orders from the Admiral again."

Lee nodded. "I understand that."

"So what are you suggesting I do, simply go back to duty, and forget it ever happened?"

"No, and no-one would expect you to. But I have an idea, and I think you would be prefect for the job." Lee smiled slightly. "Let me explain..."

Helo stared at the smaller man and then settled back and listened...