Title: Happy Frakkin' Colonial Day
Author: LadyK25
Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Battlestar Galactica or its characters. I'd just like to enlist and fly vipers.
Feedback: Constructive criticism is always appreciated. Please let me know what you think!
Summary: What was going on inside their heads during Kobol's Last Gleaming, part 1.

I would just like to say from the start that I don't really want to see a Lee/Kara pairing. At the very least, I think that it is way too soon. I havent't seen part two of the season finale yet so I don't know if any more goes on between Lee and Kara, but I'm hoping that it doesn't. I'd like to see them stay just friends for a while longer. It's so much more fun this way. With that said, I just felt this little story had to be told after watching part one of "Kobol's Last Gleaming".

Happy Frakkin' Colonial Day

Kara

What the frak was she thinking? Kara leaned on the sink and stared at herself in the mirror, finally looking away in disgust. So she'd had a couple drinks too many. It had been so nice to just forget about everything that had happened and pretend that it was just like any other Colonial Day. She had even worn a dress for the special occasion. She thought back, trying to recall the last time she had worn one, but couldn't remember. At least Lee had noticed her knee, well, both of them actually, but that didn't seem to stop him from letting the Doc cut in and steal her away from him. He had just nodded politely to Dr. Baltar and moved on without a look back, but she had watched him. From the corner of her eye, she kept track of everything he did. First, he asked President Roslin to dance and then Dualla.

At that point, both she and the Doc had gotten thirsty so they sat and had a drink. She sipped the ambrosia and saw Lee and that blond reporter – she couldn't remember her name – walk to the dance floor, and somehow she carried on a coherent conversation with the Doc at the same time. Lee danced the next dance with that reporter while she ordered another round of drinks. He danced the following dance with her, too. It was a real slow song and from the looks of it, she doubted you could slide a piece of paper between the two of them.

Kara was no longer just sipping the ambrosia. She downed another and then stood. "Come on, Doc. Let's dance," she said like she didn't have a care in the world. Gaius took her hand and happily followed her to the floor. They were playing another slow song. They passed Lee and that reporter. She pulled the Doc as close to her as those two were. Lee never even looked her way.

She rested her cheek on the Doc's chest, blinking to clear her watery eyes. She didn't see Lee glance over the top of the reporter's head for what must've been the hundredth time or see the muscle jump in his cheek when he clenched his teeth together to keep his emotions in check.

She didn't turn down another drink when the Doc offered it. She also didn't resist when he said he was getting a little bored with all the festivities and suggested they go someplace a little quieter. It just felt good to have someone hold her. It had been so long.

She couldn't believe that she had said Lee's name out loud the next morning. It must've been the after effects from all that damn ambrosia the night before. There was no other reason for being so stupid. The look on the Doc's face had surprised her. She obviously expected that he would be pissed to hear another man's name at a moment like that, but it was more than that. She doubted that he could even tell you how many women he'd slept with; she was just another among many. It wasn't like they were in love or anything. Funny though, he had actually looked hurt. She thought that was weird.

She definitely knew that she had hurt him when she came across him at the card game. That was so unlike him to lash out at her the way he did. He never seemed to take anything very seriously. That's why a part of her liked him. He amused her, even if she never told him so. She could tell he hadn't been trying to be amusing then, though. Call him Mr. Vice President, my ass.

She'll remember that awful moment for a long time. It was too much trying to deal with both of them at the same time. Lee had looked from the Doc back to her and she saw the exact moment when the realization of what she'd done dawned in Lee's eyes. She knew then that she had truly messed up this time. She just had to get away when she fled from both of them and jogged to the hangar deck. She just hoped that she had been able to pull it off and that neither one had realized how shaken she truly was. Then later when Lee had punched her in the face…she deserved it. If only it could have made her feel as bad on the outside as she did inside.

The clank of the door opening snapped her from her thoughts. She looked over to see Boomer walk into the head and wave to her on the way to the stall at the far end of the room near the wall. She looked back into the mirror again, gingerly touching her nose where Lee had punched her. At least he hadn't broken it.