Just a quick note: since I didn't really specify, the setting here is the same as it is for Scenes From the Life - mostly modern AU, but with Battlestar verse-esque elements where they're convenient.
Also, smut is implied (because they're freaking Lee and Kara, ya know?) but not explicit because I'm not about that life.

Chapter 2

When Lee woke up in the morning, it took him a moment to remember where he was. Then he became aware of the sleeping form in the bed next to him, and the night before came back to him in a rush. First there had been cooking lessons, then there had been… other activities.

Frak…

He sat up slowly, hoping not to wake Kara. On one hand, he hated to just leave without her knowing. Lee had never been a one night stand kind of guy, and he did genuinely like her – not to mention, she didn't seem like the kind of person one would want to piss off. But on the other hand, he barely knew her. And, to be honest, a new relationship was the last thing he felt like he could handle at the moment.

Standing up carefully, he hurriedly located his scattered clothes and slipped them on as silently as he could, hoping to make it out of the apartment before Kara woke up. He reached for the door – and the hinge squeaked.

"Running away so soon?"

Frak!

Lee reluctantly turned around, finding, to his relief, that Kara didn't look mad. Surprised, maybe, but not mad. "Look, I've never really – really done anything like this before. But I don't think… I can't really…"

"I have done things like this before," Kara said with a faint smirk. "And they usually end this way. This time, though, I wouldn't necessarily mind if it… didn't."

Lee stared at her for a long moment, letting himself wonder what would happen if he agreed. He imagined waking up next to her many more times, making messes in her kitchen, probably giving up and just doing most of the cooking for the both of them anyway. And then he remembered the nightmare that the last few weeks had been – the nightmare that wasn't nearly over yet, and that wasn't going anywhere anytime soon – and the dreamworld vanished.

"I can't."

He turned and left. She didn't try to stop him.

Kara spent a few more hours in bed, dozing lazily. She wasn't sure if Lee had only gotten up so early because he wanted to leave, or if he was always such an early riser. Hopefully not the latter. Once she finally felt that it was a more reasonable hour to be up and about, she rolled out of bed and wandered into her messy kitchen, perching on one of her barstools and pouring herself a bowl of cereal. Then on a whim, she pulled her computer closer and opened a search engine.

The first result that came up when she entered Lee's name was a local news story. As soon as she read the headline, she knew where she'd recognized him from: "Local Army Pilot Returns Home." She clicked through and skimmed the article from just a few weeks before. According to the story, Lee was a talented fighter pilot who had received an honorable discharge a couple months ahead of schedule when he and another pilot were injured in combat. From there, the site linked to another story from a week before: "Local Army Pilot Killed in Action." Kara didn't read the article, but she vaguely remembered hearing about it on the news. Apparently, the other pilot had been from Lee's squadron.

Kara closed the laptop and stirred her now soggy cereal pensively. She and Lee had had what had started off seeming like a one night stand, until she had impulsively done something she'd never really felt the urge to do before and invited him to stay afterward. As she had rightly suspected, he wasn't the type of person who typically did that sort of thing. And he was… sweet. Sweetness had never been particularly high on the list of things Kara looked for in a man, but Lee wore it well. And, from what she'd observed, he'd enjoyed their night together just as much as she had.

And yet he'd rejected her offer. There was something about his answer, though, something about the way he'd said "I can't" that bothered her. It had sounded… reluctant. Like he knew it was wrong. Like he was making the hardest decision of his life.

And there was that second article, the one about the pilot killed in action. Kara fumbled for a moment before recalling the name: Louanne Katraine. If they'd served in the same squadron, maybe she and Lee had been involved before she died.

Shaking her head, Kara pushed the thoughts aside. Whatever the case, she'd probably be better off leaving Lee alone for a while. It was really none of her business anyway.

Kara was checking her mailbox when she saw Lee walking past with a duffel bag and backpack, both apparently stuffed full. He looked like his week hadn't improved much since he'd left her apartment a few mornings earlier.

"Where are you off to?"

For a brief moment, Lee looked as though he was considering pretending he hadn't heard her. But then he made his way over to join her, dropping the duffel with a soft thud. "I don't know. A hotel, I guess." At Kara's inquisitive look, he explained further. "The idiot in the apartment above mine flooded the place. I came home and found water coming through the ceiling and everything soaked."

"That sucks," Kara replied, noticing that there were indeed water stains on the bag. "A hotel, though? Isn't there anyone you could stay with?"

For some reason, the question seemed to make Lee even more uncomfortable. "My parents live just outside the city. But… we don't really see each other much."

"Don't get along?"

"You could say that."

Kara didn't quite believe him, but she decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. "Right. Well, you can crash at my place for a few days if you want."

"Seriously?"

Kara shrugged nonchalantly. "What?"

"Even after… the other night?"

Kara smirked, tossing a few envelopes into a trash can and tucking the rest under her arm as she headed for the stairs. "I've slept with a lot of guys, Lee. You're no different."

"What? No, I know that…" Lee stammered, reddening. "It's just… are you sure?" he called after her as she walked away.

"As sure as I know you're in charge of all the cooking." With a cheeky wink, she disappeared up the stairs.

Lee hesitated for a minute, then picked up his bag with a sigh and followed her. He hated hotels. "I am definitely going to regret this."

Next up: things get angsty!