Until the End of Time

Lee was in his bunk reading a book he'd gotten off his father when Kara walked in through the hatch. She was dead tired seeing that she had just finished CAP and all of her attention was dedicated to her locker. Her distraction gave Lee the opportunity to really see her since their boxing match.

The bruises on her face had healed up pretty well and he was glad of it. It never failed to shock him how one woman could stir up such contradictory feelings inside him. While they had been in that boxing ring, he had wanted to tear her apart with his bare hands and bring her to her knees with pain; now he wished he could get up, walk over to her, cradle her face and kiss the yellowing bruises tenderly.

A smile of pleasure lit up his face as she stripped. Her movements were methodical and absent, clear proof of her tiredness but they created the most interesting striptease show he'd ever seen. She was down to her bra and underwear when she changed her position and the light hit her body quite clearly, too clearly. Bruises on her torso and on her shins came alive under the only neon light that was turned on in the darkened room. A fresh pang of guilt rode Lee's chest.

Still completely unaware of her audience, Kara threw her dirty clothes in the laundry basket and made for the showers with her towel slung on her left shoulder.

Caught between guilt and desire to join her under the brief spurts of hot water, Lee wondered about the turn their relationship had taken. Forgiveness had been passed between them and now they were moving on and moving back into friendliness. But would the night spent on New Caprica bring back the sexual dimension? Would he cheat on Dee? Would he leave Dee for Kara?

Worse still, would they ignore their mutual desire as they had before New Caprica?

He gave himself a mental slap. Lee never gave Kara enough credit and something told him that it might have been many times the reason he and Kara were here now. He shouldn't assume she would cheat on Sam or that she would leave him for Lee.

But they were in love, weren't they? That was, after all, what got them together on New Caprica. Would love be enough for them to work out? Lee tried to ignore it but their first failed attempt was like a bad omen hanging over their heads.

/

Kara had no thoughts, was simply replaying her CAP over in her head like some sort of mental rewind. Having done this so many times before, she trusted her body to get her through her shower as she checked out mentally.

Feeling lighter with the sweat gone, she made her way under her towel back to her locker. Clean underwear, clean tank.

Slip underwear underneath towel.

Loosen towel to fall.

Slip tank on.

Fifteen steps to her bunk.

Collapse.

Being on automatic pilot, she didn't notice she had slipped on an old t-shirt of Lee's that he had given to her when they were on good terms before all the angst of the universe had spilled into their friendship.

But Lee had; he had watched from the moment she had come out of the showers. In a state of mild, amused arousal he had enjoyed robot-Kara strip. It was the powerful clench of possession as she put on his old shirt that got rid of the amusement and made his erection throb painfully.

Kara was his and somehow, someway he would take her from Anders. He would have no mercy upon anyone who would get in his way. Be it Dee, his father or Anders.

Starbuck and Apollo were going to fly together until the end of time.

/

Something gentle and coarse was brushing across her cheek in soft back-and-forth motions. Love, her mind whispered to her and Kara smiled in her sleepy unguarded state.

"Kara, wake up. Starbuck," a male voice crooned somewhere above her but quite close.

"Mm-hmm," she murmured. She didn't want those caresses to stop.

"Kara, come on. You've slept in half an hour. If you don't get up now, you won't have time for a meal before report time with the CAG."

Kara was still deep under so she wondered at the owner of the careful voice. Was it Sam? Unbeknownst to her, her brow crinkled. She wanted Lee to be luring her to wakefulness with that sweet voice. But would Lee be that gentle with her? Even after their traditional 'I missed you' having been exchanged in that boxing ring? Sam was more likely to be the one doing this and some of her pleasure went away with that thought.

"I'm up, I'm up," she muttered through lips that were still sleep-locked.

A chuckle above her.

Gods Sam, just go away, she thought. It suddenly hurt to know her husband was being tender with her when she desperately wanted Lee to be doing this. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. Desperation gripped her as she realised she still loved Lee madly and that she was wishing another man to be him. Again. Frakk.

Kara came awake with tears in her eyes, ready to snap at Sam, maybe even deck him. Poor guy, was her last thought. Her fist was half-way up when she realised it was Lee who was sitting on the edge of her bunk, startled with her sudden movement, smile turning into worried eyes.

Her face scrunched up as she tried to get herself under control and will the tears away, scared shitless suddenly. This was Lee; he could never see her like this. (In her early-morning fogginess, she didn't realise Lee had seen her like this, often.) She couldn't let him see she was torn up for him.

"Kara? What's wrong?"

He reached for her but she scrambled away, rubbing at her face in pretence to get the sleep off her face when in fact it was tears she wanted to get rid off. Get rid of all the evidence, she thought glumly. Because it is a crime to love Lee Adama.

"Nothing. What do you want?"

Lee searched her face, his eyes still worried. She ignored the sentiment and motivated herself like so: morning crankiness, what did he expect?

"I pushed reporting session back an hour and turned off you alarm clock. Figured you could use the extra half-hour of sleep; it would have been a waste for you to get up too early."

She would have simply gone back to bed once she'd found out about the change but didn't point that out to him. Something told her he knew that. They were both aware he wouldn't have done this for any other of his pilots.

"Oh."

She started to busy herself with checking the time.

"Kara, you had tears in your eyes. Bad dream?" Lee didn't want to let this go.

"I'm – yeah, bad dream." She had nearly snapped at him that she was fine but chose a subdued lie instead, pushing her hair behind her ears.

Risking a look at his face she knew instantly that he had caught her with the lie. The memory of the worked fingers brushing her cheek was tinged with pleasure and smiles. His face had darkened considerably and she rushed to make amends.

"Look, Lee-"

He stopped her by cupping her face in his palms, gentle despite the frown. Kara panicked.

"Why will you lie to me, Kara? I'm not going to hurt you, especially not when I tried to wake you up with a smile on your face. I was doing so well, too; tell me, why did it end up in tears?"

More panic and now no words to throw him off with.

"I- I- I can't, Lee!" She tried to pull herself out of his palms. Her body was still weak with sleep and her arms barely supported her weight.

He came closer to her, expression changed.

"Yes Kara, you can," he insisted.

She struggled for breath. How to escape this? Ambush! Ambush! her mind screamed.

His thumbs started to rub her cheeks and the tears were coming back. I can't- I can't escape this. Don't want to...

"I thought it was Sam that was waking me up and it hurt so much, wishing that it was you instead. And it hurt even more knowing that I am back to square one: wanting you when I'm with another man."

Sweet Artemis, had she really blurted that out to him?! Where the frakk had all her composure gone to?

Lee said nothing, face indecipherable, thumbs still rubbing her damp cheeks. Then, slowly, he came closer and whispered:

"You are with me, Kara."

Kara felt her joints loosen even more due to the warm breath he infused her with; she was totally unprepared for the kiss he pressed to her lips. Tender and determined, Lee kissed her until she responded to him. It was like dawn after a lifetime of night. Keeping his pace, she returned the kiss. Their lips were moist, touching, retreating and then coming back. Her hands rested on his shoulders she pulled herself up higher, no longer requiring the support of her arms.

It was delicious for both of them. A reunion, finally. They were such suckers for kissing each other. Lee wanted to lay Kara back onto her bunk, crawl in after her and savour her lips for another couple of hours. To hell with his CAG duties.

She pulled away a bit, resting her forehead to his.

"I need to breathe, Lee," she whispered with a smile.

"Okay. Breathing is allowed," he smiled back at her.

Scooting her butt a little closer to his knees, Kara put her lips back onto his and their gentle kissing resumed. A little while later, Lee pulled back to run his tongue on the seam of her lips; Kara parted her lips for him. The contact would have brought them to their knees had they not been sitting. It brought back memories and feelings. Strong desire, inflaming flickers of passion. Recollections of his tongue running circles around her clit; her tongue drawing patterns on his navel before she took him into her mouth.

"Rise and shine, Kar-"

Sam halted mid-stride across the hatch's threshold as he became witness to the scene in front of him: his wife kissing the man who had pummelled her bloody and blue a week ago. They were frozen, Kara in the CAG's arms and the CAG's arms still wrapped around her shoulder blades.

"What the hell?!"

Before they could de-tangle themselves, Sam was right there beside them.

"Get your frakking hands off her, you asshole! You beat the shit out of her and now you're kissing her? What the frakk, are you trying to make it up to her?!"

As soon as Kara got off the CAG's lap, Sam grabbed the shorter man by the collar and hauled him to his feet.

"Sam, don't-"

"Sticking up for him is not going to win you points right now, Kara," Sam growled through his teeth.

Lee had tensed up, ready to defend himself and throw in some punches but so far Anders simply held him by the collar as if he was some misbehaving child. It irked him to no end. Still, Lee was wary. Kara jumped up out of her bunk and placed herself between them, placating hands on Sam's chest.

"Sam, stop! It's not his fault, I started it. And punching him will just get you thrown in the brig!"

Lee winced as she took the blame for him. Anders seemed startled by her confession and then his eyes hardened menacingly. He cares for her. Damn it, he cares altogether too much! were Lee's thoughts. This meant that it would be hard getting Anders to let Kara go. Frakk, he didn't need anymore obstacles. But first things first; he shook the man's grip off and took a step back ready to let fists fly as soon as he shoved Kara out of the way. But Anders' attention was focused on his wife.

"What the frakk, Kara? Do you kiss all the guys that try to re-model your face? Is that what does it for you?"

Disgruntled, sad and accusing. That's what Anders sounded like. Kara's face took on a tormented look.

"Sam, you don't understand-"

"Damn right I don't understand! You frakk me, you fight him," he spat the word viciously like it was an expletive, "and now this? What the hell is going on with you?!"

Kara flinched away.

"I don't know, Sam…"

Lee stepped in right before Sam opened his mouth to launch what would have probably been another attack.

"Hey, tone it down, Anders."

"You shut your frakking mouth," Sam snapped his entire body towards Lee from his crouch over Kara's frame, pointing an accusatory finger at the CAG. "Actually, why don't you get yourself the hell out of here? This is between me and my wife!"

"Keep on dreaming, Anders. I'm not leaving her alone with you when you look like you're going to strangle her."

"No, Captain," Sam hissed. "I don't hit women; see, it's your job to take a swing at her, not mine." The barb hit straight home as both Lee and Kara winced at the truth in Sam's words.

Lee held his ground with less malice in his voice this time.

"Nevertheless, I want to make sure she's okay."

Sam couldn't believe the audacity of this man.

"She's my wife! I love her! I don't know about you but my moral values tell me that those two are the strongest reasons to keep her away from harm!"

Kara thought she was going to start crying again; why were the Gods so cruel to Sam? She really should have stayed away from him once she had rescued him off Caprica. But here they were now and she was certain Sam would jump Lee soon if she didn't do something.

"Lee, just go." She cut him off just as he was about to protest. "Sam is right; this is between us that we need to solve. I'll be fine."

Lee looked uncertain.

"Go, its okay."

He was reluctant but eventually moved towards the exit; not before he gave Sam a threatening glance that had Sam scoffing. It sat on his tongue to say that his knuckles would never bite out of Kara.

"Lieutenant," Lee switched to military names, "reporting session is in forty-five minutes. Your presence is mandatory."

And with a last worried look he closed the hatch behind him.

Kara and Sam just looked at each other for the next seconds. She was regretful, he was expectant. With a sigh, she broke their staring competition and trudged towards her locker.

"I don't know what to say, Sam. I'm sorry you saw us like that; but I'm not sorry it happened."

The words caught Sam like a hundred Pyramid balls launched at him from every direction.

"How long has this been going on behind my naïve back, Kara?" he ground out.

"Nothing's been going on, Sam." Gods, she sounded tired even to her own ears. "As you're well aware, I have been in Lee's contempt and he in mine since New Caprica. We only just became friends again after Colonial Day. This morning he just woke me up and… he was comforting me. One thing led to another…"

"And then he was shoving his tongue down your throat? Wonderful, Kara, absolutely wonderful!"

She shrank away from him. She could practically touch the pain Sam was exuding. During her explanation she had pulled on her uniform and was now clutching her toothbrush. Kara had no idea how lost she looked to Sam just then.

"I'm sorry Sam; all I can say is that it wasn't intentional. Look, it probably won't happen again. It was… just a slip. Lee and I are still trying to make it up to each other. It didn't really mean anything."

His skeptical look produced another sigh from her.

"Sam, Lee and I are… tightly knit together. We're just friends; that was just a kiss between friends." She didn't even believe herself.

"Frakk off, Kara. I know what a kiss between friends is like; you and Helo are only friends. You and Adama were sharing more than a peck on the cheek and we both know it."

She hardened her posture and her face but it took so much energy to lie to Sam it frightened her.

"I don't care what you think, Sam. That's my only explanation and it's the only one you'll get. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get ready for report duty."

Kara started towards the bathrooms and she was halfway out the room when Sam's next question rang in her ears.

"And is that what the CAG will say if I ask him what happened here? That you two shared a 'friendly kiss'? Or will his version be different than yours?"

Oh Gods. And what would Lee say? What exactly was happening between them? Merely shrugging but not feeling in the least bit nonchalant, Kara moved into the bathroom and heard Sam slam the hatch door with muttered curses as she brushed her teeth.

/

Dee was worried and a little disgusted by thoughts of her husband. Since their return to Galactica, they had shared separate quarters with occasional frakks in her old bunk. They had hesitated to request private quarters due to the lack of space. The ship was boarded past its usual capacity.

But since the Colonial Day fight with Starbuck, Lee hadn't even popped in to say hello let alone walk her to CIC or have sex with her. She knew that a week could easily be attributed to lots of work and no free time except for sleeping. But feminine intuition or just plain old logic, whatever you wanted to call it, told her that the reason Lee had been absent was the blonde Lieutenant.

Starbuck pissed the hell out of Dee. She was irresponsible, reckless and totally abused her relationship with the Admiral and Lee. Her behavior had exceeded destructive in the few weeks since their return to Galactica; she wanted to airlock her for the bruises on Lee's face and body. Dee hated to admit it but they were a clear marker of possession and while she herself never could manage to leave passion marks on Lee's body, Starbuck had done it using hatred instead. The emotion was all wrong and she still had claim over his body, in a way.

Frakking Starbuck.

As she looked across CIC to the Admiral, Dee wondered if she had ever penetrated the tight bond the Adamas had formed with Kara Thrace. Something told her it had been a temporary illusion and a black feeling made her believe she had been a mere stand-in until the rightful princess would return to the kingdom into the king and prince's waiting embrace.

Frakking Starbuck!

/

Sam was storming through the corridors of this ship he hated so much. He knew he should have been grateful; twice this place had saved his life. But it represented Kara and the gods-damned CAG so much that he wanted to tear it apart with his bare hands. He and Kara worked best when they were out on the ground, in the fresh air.

It pained him even more that he had yet to find his usefulness aboard Galactica. What real man owed his sleeping bunk to his wife's job? Sam Anders had no real worth here.

Pushing aside his feelings of insecurity, Sam decided he needed to focus on his marriage. It had hurt beyond belief to see Kara sharing a real kiss with the CAG, especially when all he had gotten since New Caprica was meaningless frakks that failed to reach Kara's heart no matter how hard he tried. Gods he was useless. When she had admitted she didn't regret kissing that other man, Sam had been certain his heart would shrivel up and fall out right at her feet.

And still, he couldn't let her go. It would be hard work but he knew he could get Kara to be the easy, carefree individual he had met and loved before those frakking Cylons messed with her head. Sam loved her and he'd stick it out and show her; Kara was worth it.

And that frakking CAG was going to get a taste of his punch if he ever laid his hands on Kara, regardless of whether she had initiated the contact or not. Kara was his and he'd re-establish that to the CAG, to herself and to anyone else who doubted it.

With a new purpose, Sam changed directions. He had a plan and he was going to make himself worthy of Kara, the food on his plate and the proverbial roof over his head!

/

The only thoughts Lee had until he reached the assembly room were filled with worry about Kara's safety. On some instinctual level he knew Anders wouldn't ever physically abuse her but the niggling fear wouldn't go away. 'What ifs' kept on running in his head… But when his pilots filed in and Kara and Helo took seats at the back amongst them, he immediately scanned her for any bruises.

Fresh ones, that is. Don't forget the ones you gave her. A nasty voice that sounded suspiciously like Anders hissed in his mind. There were none and he could concentrate on the meeting, commenting upon the pilots' performance and trying to pick up morale. The meeting eventually ended and the pilots disbanded to either go on CAP or enjoy some time off.

He had a ton of paperwork to do as CAG so he headed towards his matchbox office. Kara and Helo ignored him and he did the same; he didn't know yet how to approach her. A wish to join them sprang in his gut as he heard them decide to hit the gym but a smarter portion of him told him Kara needed time to deal with the morning events.

On the other hand, this gave him time to think about her tearful, desperate comment before he'd kissed her: '…it hurt even more knowing that I am back to square one: wanting you when I'm with another man.' This definitely needed investigation. And then he would re-live that wonderful make-out session before the hateful Anders had burst in.