Warnings-Graphic sex and that there's no real plot

Spoilers-Up to and including "Unfinished Business" and "The Passage"

Disclaimers- I don't own these characters.

Summary-My take on how Lee and Kara's affair might have started.

Falling

Lee stood at the end of the Memorial Corridor, watching Kara, her head was leaning forward, shoulders slightly bent. He could tell, even at this distance, she was crying. Not outright sobbing, but that tears were slipping down her cheeks. He had to fight the urge to go comfort her, but then he'd been fighting the urge to go to her for weeks.

It had been nearly a month since their boxing match, and while the fight did much to relive the earlier stiffness between them, it had been replaced by an even stronger tension that radiated off both of them whenever they were in the same room. He wasn't blind to it, but he'd been trying to be.

From the moment Kara stepped off the Raptor that had evacuated refugees from New Caprica, they'd been at each other's throats. Her first words to him in over a year and half had set the tone of their new relationship: "What the hell happened to you?"

Of course he hadn't expected it to be a joyous reunion, on either of their parts, but he also hadn't planned on being attacked the moment she'd set foot on Galactica. She was referring to his physical condition, and for the first time, the added weight made him feel self-conscious. He remembered at the time, when he noticed his uniform getting a little snug, he didn't care. Why should he care? There was no reason to remain fighting fit, and Ana hadn't mentioned it bothering her that there was a little more of him to love. With every extra helping, he lamented what his life had become. Married to a woman who'd been his second choice, settled for because she was the antithesis of Kara. Commander of a superfluous ship that ran drills and CAPs because they were locked into routine rather than need. Food had been a comfort. It didn't nag you or look at you sideways, and for a short while it filled the empty space in your soul.

Looking at Kara now, he realized that no amount of food in the world would ever fill the void she'd left in his life. He knew why she'd pushed him until he accepted her challenge to fight, and he wished he'd had a little more willpower and walked away. But "willpower" and "Kara" were opposing ideas and Kara always won.

They'd been careful around each other ever since then. Never allowing themselves to be alone, always on their best behavior. She hadn't even called him on a crappy flight rotation he'd purposely stuck her with, just to see if he could get a rise out of her. Apparently she was as scared as he was of what would happen when the bubble burst.

Seeing her in obvious pain over Kat's death was the catalyst he needed. It wasn't like he'd been waiting to pounce on her in a moment of weakness, but it did give him a reason to approach her as more than her CAG.

Walking slowly forward, Lee stopped a few inches behind her. He knew she was aware of someone behind her by the way she straightened, and he wondered if she realized it was him.

"Are you okay?"

She turned her head slightly and caught his eyes, her lips curling up slightly. "We never got along. I have no idea why I'm not celebrating." With that, another tear slipped out of the corner of her eye. He reached up and gently wiped it away.

"You didn't get along because you were too much alike."

Kara smirked. "Thanks. I thought you were supposed to be making me feel better."

Lee stepped closer and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her back against his chest. He knew it was a mistake the moment he touched her, but he couldn't help himself. She'd been at arms length since he could remember and for once he was going to hold onto her for as long as she'd let him. Because she'd always called the shots, and likely always would. Even when he'd approached her at the party for the ground breaking ceremony, and he'd convinced himself he'd been the one to pursue her, it was still Kara calling the shots. The only way you could have Kara Thrace was on her terms. He wondered for a moment if Sam had figured that as well.

"You know yourself the reason you butted heads is because neither of you were willing to give an inch." Kara simply bobbed her head in agreement.

"You should consider it a compliment Kat became the type of pilot that challenged you. You're the one who gave her the skills."

Chuckling, Kara bent her head again. "I created a monster."

"But a monster who went on to not only become a lead pilot, but also a CAG. If she hadn't had such a need to show up her teacher, do you think she would have accomplished those things?"

Kara sighed and leaned her head back against his shoulder. "Probably not. But did she have to give me such a hard time while doing it?"

Lee smiled and pulled his arms tighter. "If she hadn't kept you on your toes, the rest of the nuggets would have suffered. You were in top form because you had to be."

"Not during the whole Scar thing," she needlessly reminded him. He didn't want to think about that period of his life. From his perspective it had been the beginning of the end. Her lamenting the loss of Sam, the drinking, pushing him away. Pushing him into Dee's arms. Although, he couldn't blame Kara for everything. He was the one who accepted what Dee was offering.

"Still, she's part of the reason you snapped out of it."

Silently, Kara nodded. Her hair was in Lee's face and although it wasn't the cleanest, he found himself burying his nose in it.

"I still miss you, Kara." He was sure the words would have her stiffening and pulling out of his arms the minute they left his lips, but she didn't move.

"I still miss you, too."

"Do you have any idea how difficult it is look out over the pilots during a briefing and not stare at you? To keep my attention on rotations and obstacles when all I want to do is this?" Lee turned her slightly so he could access her mouth. The kiss was slow and gentle, but he felt a thousand different emotions at once. He remembered standing stunned at the news of her marriage to Sam. Never in a million years had he dreamed he'd be kissing her again, or that he would want to. And right now, he very much wanted to.

Kara turned in his arms to face him. "I think I have some idea." She was staring into his eyes, but her gaze kept flickering to his lips, making him smile.

"What's so funny?" she asked.

He moved in to lightly capture her lips. "You want to kiss me as much as I want to kiss you." His tongue invaded her mouth and Kara was moaning his name. The rush of desire he felt was almost like nothing he'd felt before. Except for the first kiss they'd shared on New Caprica. He had never wanted a woman as much as he'd wanted her that night, and this was a close second. Pulling her in tighter, he couldn't get her close enough. Clothing was too much of a barrier, and the evidence of his arousal was pressed into her thigh.

Kara grinned against his lips and moved her hand to massage the bulge in his pants. "Happy to see me, Major?"

Now it was Lee's turn to moan. "Gods, Kara, you keep doing that I'm going to frak you right here in the hallway."

Kara's eyes were sparkling. "Major Stick-Up-His-Ass? I'll believe it when I see it."

Lee swept his tongue into her mouth and kissed her until she was breathless. He pulled back, giving her lips nibbling kisses and looked into her glazed eyes with a sense of manly pride.

"What was my name again?" she asked, dazed.

"Mine," he said, moving his lips over her jaw and down her throat. Kara smiled and thrust her hips against his.

"We better find some place to finish this," she said in between dueling with his tongue. "I'm not spending another frustrating night in my rack."

"Poor Starbuck," he purred, running his hand between her legs. "We can't have you suffering."

"Oh, Gods!" she moaned into his mouth. "You better have me some place private and with my clothes half-off in the next minute or your ass is grass, Mister."

Lee was more than ready to obey her order. Taking her hand, they practically ran from the Memorial Corridor. Rounding a corner, Kara pulled him into an alcove used for maintenance access. "This will do," she mumbled against his mouth, pushing him up against the wall. She was shrugging out of her uniform jacket as he began to work on the buttons of his own.

"Let me," she said, her breath coming in short gasps between kisses. Lee abandoned the fastenings and went to work on her tanks, sliding his hands beneath the worn material and pulling it over her head.

"Sweet Aphrodite," she moaned, threading her fingers into his hair, pulling his head down to her now partially exposed breasts. Lee pushed her bra out of the way, his tongue finding her already hard nipple.

"Do you have any idea how many times I dreamed of doing this with you?" he mumbled into her skin.

"Before or after we beat the crap out of each other?" she panted.

"Both. I wanted you so much and hated you for making me want you. I couldn't stand seeing you every day, knowing you'd chosen someone else."

Kara pulled his head back and looked into his eyes. "I know you hated me. Every time you'd look at me it cut a little deeper. But I deserved it. It was my penance for every thing I've done to you, Lee. Do you think you can ever forgive me?"

Now it was Lee's turn to fluctuate a gaze between her eyes and her lips. "I already have," he whispered, claiming her mouth. "Doesn't this prove it?"

Kara was nuzzling his neck. "It only proves lust has gotten the better of you."

"I love you, Kara. This just confirms what I've always known, no matter how much I've tried to deny it. You're a part of me, and I'm never going to be free of you."

Smiling against his lips, Kara said, "good thing we're on the same page. I'm never going to be free of you either. And I don't want to be." She became more aggressive in her quest to remove his clothes, and soon his tanks joined his jacket on the floor of the alcove.

"What if some one comes by?" he asked, tugging down her pants.

"Then they get one hell of a show," she grinned, working on the closure of his trousers. Standing before each other, they were still clad in their underwear. He started to pull her panties down, but she placed her hand on his wrist to stop him. Leaning in to kiss him, she warned him,

"No frakking. We're married." For a moment Lee couldn't breathe, his chest constricting painfully as his mind screamed not again! His suddenly rigid posture must have alerted her to his distress as she added, "but it doesn't mean we can't have some fun!" Her hand moved to the front of his shorts, stroking his already painful erection.

"Gods, Kara, don't do that unless you want this to be over!"

"Don't worry, Flyboy. I plan on getting mine." She took the hand she still held by the wrist and moved it under the waistband of her underwear, guiding his fingers to her sweet spot. "You know what to do," she whispered in his ear.

Her breath in his ear, combined with the slickness of her folds was nearly his undoing. He stroked her from back to front, causing her to shiver.

"Oh, yeah," she sighed. "I knew you'd know what to do."

Lee circled her nub with his thumb, making her moan low in her throat. Her mouth was open, gulping air, and he watched her try to hang on. He backed off, hoping to prolong her pleasure. Kara was having none of it and thrust her hips forward in an effort to connect with his teasing hand once more.

"What do you want, Kara?" A breathy, nearly inarticulate sound escaped her.

"To feel you inside me. Right frakking now!"

Lee inserted first one finger, then a second into her tight, wet passage. Kara was panting and he could tell she was getting close to breaking. Capturing her mouth, he swallowed the cry of his name as she shattered around his digits.

Kara sagged against the wall, working on regaining her breath as Lee kissed a trail down her throat, between her breasts where he lingered for a moment, massaging their fullness, giving her nipples a pinch. She jumped slightly at that, but the satisfied smile hadn't left her lips.

Lee continued his journey southward, kneeling to kiss her stomach. "We're not through, Starbuck." And he meant that on several levels. He hoped she got that. This time when he worked on pulling down her underwear, she didn't fight him. In fact, she held on to his shoulders to step out of the grey cotton, opening her legs even wider for him. He smiled at her eagerness. "Didn't get enough?" he teased her.

"I'll never have enough when it comes to you," she said, gazing at him while running her fingers through his hair once more. For some reason, that gesture of tenderness made his already hard cock twitch with even more anticipation. He was so ready for her, he hoped he would be able to hold out.

Gripping her ass, Lee pulled Kara forward to taste her, sliding his tongue over her still sensitive center. Kara's hands had moved from his hair to grasp his shoulders with so much strength, he wondered if he was going to have bruises requiring an explanation. He didn't care. Any fallout he received would be worth this moment, this time with her.

As his tongue delved deeper, Kara released another unintelligible sound of pleasure he'd only dreamed of hearing. His cock longed to be where his mouth had traveled, but he understood why it couldn't be. In a way he was even grateful for her insistence. There was enough guilt in his life without adding more to it. But he knew they both were rationalizing this encounter. Thinking if he was called on it, he could tell Dee he hadn't actually frakked Starbuck.

Kara was squirming under his ministrations, flexing her fingers against his shoulders, unconsciously mimicking the rhythm of his mouth on her bundle of nerves. Glancing upwards, Lee saw Kara had her eyes squeezed shut, biting her lip so hard she might soon draw blood. She was practically silent as she reached her peak, the only outward evidence she gave was a strangled cry and renewed pressure on his shoulders. Opening her eyes, she smiled lovingly at him.

"Damn, Apollo" she said, sliding down the wall, trying to slow her breathing. "You sure know how to show a girl a good time."

"Maybe she could return the favor?"

"I'll think about it." She took a few deep breaths before pushing him backwards until he was lying on the floor. "I've thought about it," she said, reaching to pull his shorts down. Her eyes almost glowed as she took in the sight before her. "Looks like we both win," she smiled.

Trailing her fingers along his length, Kara's touch was feather-light and it was his turn to suppress a moan. His breathing was starting to hitch as her fingers began to become more deliberate in their movements. Trailing her nails across his balls, he just about lost control, but seeing his reaction, she quickly moved to less sensitive areas. Although, he wasn't sure there was a place on his body that was less responsive at the moment. Every pore seemed aware of her, and even an innocuous caress of his chest had erotic implications.

Kara's tongue was making a circuitous journey across his stomach and thighs, coming ever closer to her goal, but darting away just before she reached what he wanted to be her goal. He grabbed her head and began to nudge her towards his aching member.

"What do you want, Lee?" She asked, tossing his words back at him. Her voice was pitched low, and her mouth so close to where he wanted it to be that he could feel puffs of air on his shaft.

"To be in your mouth," he ground out, waiting for his wish to be fulfilled.

"Like this?" she asked, barely taking the tip between her lips.

"More," he said, his hips moving forward practically of their own volition.

"How about this?" She moved her head down over his.

"More."

"What about now?" she questioned, taking all of him into her mouth.

"Gods, yes!" He wound his fingers into her hair, to prevent her from leaving until she finished what she started, but also so he could touch her. She'd stationed herself between his legs and her bright hair was all he could access at the moment.

Her tongue was circling his dick and his world narrowed down to pure sensation. All there was in the universe was Kara's glorious mouth bringing him closer to communing with the gods.

"Karaaaaaa," he hissed. "Gods, I love you."

Kara slowed her actions enough to elicit her own words of devotion. "I love you too, Lee. No matter what happens."

He didn't want to think about the double meaning she could have meant with that statement. He couldn't think about it as coherent thought had left him. With a final tug on the head of his cock, grazing him with her teeth, Lee came with a shudder that rivaled the most spectacular night of his life. Not surprisingly, that too had been shared with this woman.

Kara crawled up his body, pillowed her head on his chest, and leaned over to place a kiss on his breastbone. His fingers were still in her hair, working their way through the strands.

"Wow," was about all the speech he was capable of at the moment.

"Mmmm." She agreed.

"Cold?"

"Not yet," she answered. They lay entwined as Lee's breath returned to normal.

"Still, we should get back. We're going to be missed." He didn't need to articulate who was going to be suspicious at their absence. He started to sit up, but Kara didn't budge.

"Just a minute yet," she said, wrapping her arms tighter around him. "I'm not ready to give you up yet."

Lee acquiesced, not wanting to let her go either. There was so much whizzing through is mind, he didn't know what thought to concentrate on. All he knew for certain was this was the beginning, not the end, and if falling in love with her all over again meant falling into damnation, he would happily go.

The End