Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica or any related titles.

A/N: A very Happy Holidays to all, especially Kiwi-Mystere over on DA, for whom this is dedicated. Just a piece of Lee/Kara interaction set after her return from the Demetrius mission in Season 4. I hope you all enjoy reading and have a very happy holiday.

Okay For Now

She's finally off the Demetrius and back with the Fleet, but Kara knows her troubles are far from over—hell, new issues keep cropping up every five minutes. For one reason or another, she's trying to convince the leaders of the Fleet that making an alliance with certain Cylons is, in fact, a good idea. This also means that Leoben is back in her life, and whilst he's been somewhat useful so far, she's still convinced that never would have been too soon to see him again. Not to mention the fact that she hasn't yet regained anyone's trust and is probably due back to the brig immediately. And then there's the whole issue of her possibly having died a few months ago . . .

But as she's being pressed against the bulkhead in a moderately well-hidden corner, being kissed breathless by a certain Lee Adama, she finds she really doesn't care about any of that.

Finally he pulls back, just enough so that they can both breathe again. He doesn't let any space come between them, keeping their bodies flush against one another, simply tilting his forehead against hers. Kara's arms are around his neck and his hands are cradling her face as though he can't bear to let her go. Lee's warm breath washes over her face and his fingers tighten infinitesimally against her.

Kara opens her eyes and examines him, needing to know what's running through his brain right now. Unfortunately, his eyes are closed and his face is much too close to hers to really ascertain any details.

She lets out a long exhale, trying to slow her breathing and her heart rate back to their normal paces. "Lee," she begins, her voice barely above a whisper, belatedly realizing she has no idea where to go with that sentence.

It must be at least a full minute before he moves again, a minute in which a small voice in the back of her mind continually reminds her that this secluded alcove isn't the place to being doing this, with the possibility of someone walking by and spotting them. Nor is this the time, with her pressing need to be under constant guard according to Roslin and the Old Man. But that voice is muted when compared to a much louder one telling her to stand still and enjoy this flood of bliss and comfort running through her veins.

Lee shifts his weight and pulls back just enough so she can see him clearly. His expression is calm and collected, but she can see the boil of emotions behind his perfected mask of control.

"Hello," he says, smiling softly. The fingers on one of her hands absently trace circles over his heart.

She returns his expression, knowing her emotions are nowhere near as collected as she would like them to be but needing to try to convince him anyway. He needs to believe she's okay for now. She knows that if he doesn't, he'll worry himself half to death and that won't be helping anyone.

"Hi," she replies.

"Nice to see you again," he ventures. Kara smirks. As much as she would never admit it, nice doesn't even begin to cover it.

"Hmm," she agrees, her fingers now smoothing out the lines of his jacket. She lets her eyes fall to watch to movement, knowing prolonged exposure to his gaze will quickly disintegrate her resolve. She isn't worried about falling apart in front of Lee, not after everything they've been through, but she knows that their time is limited. She has to keep it together for now.

Kara can feel his eyes watching her intently, but for now she pretends to be transfixed by the collar of his new suit. Seconds tick by and she tries to think of something to say.

Lee beats her to it. "So . . ." he tries, clearing his throat. "Two months."

"Yep," she says, nodding. Lee's hands drift downwards slightly, one coming to curl around the back of her neck and the other falling to rest of her shoulder.

"You're late, by the way," he reminds her, and she can imagine the way his lips turn into a slight smirk as he says this.

She scoffs lightly. "Fashionably. Look who you're talking to, after all."

This earns a small laugh from him. "Yeah. I don't know why I'm surprised. When people give you rendezvous times in the future, I think they should give you a date a bit earlier than they want you back. That way you'll arrive right on time."

Kara rolls her eyes at his logic. Gods, she's missed this. Missed him. "I'll leave you to deliver the memo. Pretend I haven't heard anything about it."

"Yeah, I guess telling you about that master plan was a bad idea. Kind of fell through there." She feels her chest constrict as she realizes what's going on. They've fallen back into their usual banter, their defensive strategy. The problem is, she isn't sure if this is a good thing or a bad thing this time.

A few more instances pass in silence. The hand on the back of her neck writes random letters and words, sending pleasant shivers down her spine. It's like he can't stop touching her, even if he wanted to. Suddenly, Kara feels a bubble of something akin to desperation and hopelessness rise to the surface. As much as she tries to suppress it, she can't help the small tremor that rushes through her, making her shoulders shake involuntarily, almost like a sob.

Lee reacts better than she thought he would. He doesn't panic, he doesn't frantically try to soothe her or search out the origin of her distress. His fingers tug at her chin and she lets her eyes drift up to his again, floored by the magnitude of what she sees there. His blue eyes bore into hers, all that suppressed emotion finally showing on his face. He looks as though he's about to say something grand and impactful. But he doesn't.

"I missed you," he says simply.

Kara opens her mouth to reply but finds the words choked by some emotion she doesn't care to name right now. Feeling the blood rush to her cheeks, she pulls him forward and buries her face in his shoulder. She doesn't cry, not really, but for now she needs a moment to pull herself together and, damn it, she just needs to be close to him. His arms instantly come around her shoulders, holding her to him tightly, and she knows he needs this just as much as she does.

She inhales deeply, breathing him in, suffusing her senses with Lee. "I missed you, too," she confesses. "I missed you, too."

Lee's arms constrict more tightly around her shoulders when she tries to pull back just slightly. Just so she can look into his eyes. "Lee . . ."

His Adam's apple bobs as he swallows. "Kara," he breathes, his voice sounding lost, his eyes drifting shut.

"Did I really die?"

He doesn't answer for the longest time. He doesn't speak, doesn't move, barely breathes. He just rubs circles in her shoulders with his fingers and leans forward to lean their foreheads together again. The full force of what her death has done to him finally hits her. For the first time, she allows herself to believe that he really might love her.

"It doesn't matter," he replies eventually. He opens his eyes and stares at her as if she's the only thing in the universe. "I don't care. You're here now and that's what matters. Okay?"

It takes a minute for the words to sink in. When they finally do, she nods, feels her face break out into a grin despite the severity of their situation. "Okay. I believe you."

At that, Lee smiles too. A real smile. And Kara thinks she's done okay for now.

Thanks for reading! Please review if you find the time; it would be a brilliant Christmas present.

~Fishyicon