Part of this chapter was inspired by something one of those who reviewed chapter one said. I wouldn't have thought of it otherwise, so thanks. This chapter is pretty filled with fluffy sweetness, but there is a more substantive story coming after this. Stay tuned to find out. In the meantime, here is the next chapter.
------------------------------------------------
Chapter Three:
Kara finished zipping up her sweatshirt. Dressed in that, a sports bra, and a pair of shorts, she was ready to head for the gym for her daily workout. She always looked forward to the stress relief her workouts provided after a day flying CAP, filling out paperwork as part of her duties as CAG, and squeezing in some quality time with her daughter.
Before she could head for the hatch to her quarters, she heard someone knock on the outside. "Frak," said Kara. "Who could that be?"
She opened the hatch, and saw a smiling Lee looking at her. "Hey," he said.
Kara smiled. "Hi!" she said, with enthusiasm.
He pulled her to him and kissed her several times. "Hmm, I needed that," said Lee.
"Happy to be of service," said Kara. "How'd your meeting with the Admiral and the President go?"
"Fine," said Lee. "I had just enough time to see you before I head back to the Pegasus. Where's Kacey?"
"With Cally and the Chief," said Kara. "I was just on my way to my workout."
"I noticed," said Lee. "I've always loved seeing you in your workout clothes."
"Why? You have some deeply-buried obsession about watching me work out in these clothes?"
"No," said Lee. "I prefer fantasizing about you working out naked."
Kara chuckled. "Pervert!"
"Yet you are dating me anyway," said Lee. "Care to walk me to the hangar?"
"Sure," said Kara.
In the two weeks since Kara ended things with Sam, she and Lee had become closer to one another. Both of them were tempted to take things to a more intimate level, but both agreed that it was best to take it slow. As Kara put it, they were going to try just dating like couples usually do. Despite the occasional exchange of innuendo, and serious flirtation between the two, Lee and Kara had done nothing more intimate than kiss, and planned to keep it that way for a while.
Kara's wedding bands to Sam still weren't dissolved yet. The rules of the temple require a month of attempted reconciliation after one of the spouses announces their intent to dissolve the bands. Even though both had resigned themselves against reconciliation, Kara's religious faith required her to honor the traditions of the gods.
As Kara and Lee walked down the corridors of Galactica, arm-in-arm, they exchanged stories about their day. They both seemed to enjoy just being together without the complications of intimacy, at least for now.
When they got to the hangar, Lee pulled Kara to him for another kiss. The gesture earned a few catcalls, as usual, from the deckhands and pilots, but the two of them didn't even notice.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow night for dinner on Pegasus, right?" asked Lee.
"Yep," said Kara. "Me and the princess will be there."
"Good," said Lee. "I miss her. I haven't seen her in a week."
Kara chuckled. "I sometimes think you miss her more than you miss me."
"Never think that," said Lee. "I love both of my pretty blonde ladies."
"Who knew you were such a sucker for blondes?" replied Kara.
They kissed one more time, as Lee said goodbye. She watched him head towards the waiting raptor, and continued to look his way until the hatch on the raptor was closed.
"Pass the word," said a voice over the intercom. "Captain Thrace, report to CIC. Repeat, Captain Thrace to CIC."
"Frak," said Kara, to herself. "So much for my workout."
---------------------------------------------------------------
The next evening, Kara sat on the couch in Lee's quarters, watching with a smile as Lee was laying on the rug, holding Kacey above him and flying her around like an airplane. The little girl giggled with delight, as Lee made "whee" noises. He then pulled Kacey down to him and kissed her on the cheek.
"You having fun?" asked Lee of the little girl.
"Yeah!" she said. "More! More!"
"In a minute, sweety," said Lee. "My arms are tired."
"She is wearing you out, huh?" commented Kara.
"The little girl is a barrel of energy," said Lee, as he remained on his back on the rug while Kacey crawled on top of him.
The phone in Lee's quarters rang. He sighed, and got up from the floor, gently moving Kacey off to the side. "I wish I could throw that thing out in the corridor sometimes," said Lee.
"Price of command," said Kara, as Lee walked over to his desk.
"Adama," said Lee, into the receiver. He listened for several moments to the caller, while Kara sat down on the rug with Kacey. "Okay, tell him I'll be there momentarily," said Lee.
He hung up the phone and got up from his desk. "Sorry, I've got something to take care of on the flight deck," said Lee. "I'll only be a few minutes."
"You go on ahead," said Kara. "Kacey and I will clean up from dinner."
An hour later, Lee reentered his quarters, and found Kacey fast asleep on the couch, with Kara sitting at Lee's desk reading a book. Kara looked up from her reading, closed her book, and quietly chuckled.
"So much for a few minutes," whispered Kara.
She got up from the desk and walked over to Lee. They embraced and kissed. "Sorry," whispered Lee. "Stinger and the Deck Chief were giving each other shit over something, and needed me to come and mediate things. I feel like a frakking nursemaid sometimes. It doesn't help that Stinger has never fully accepted my command of the Pegasus, though he does his job and obeys orders."
"Doesn't matter if he resents you," said Kara. "Your wearing the Commander's insignia, and he's not."
"True," said Lee. "I guess sometimes I just wish I could be everyone's best friend, like you accused me of wanting once."
"That's not your job," said Kara. "Your job is to command this ship and make me happy."
"Make you happy?" asked Lee, as he rubbed the lower part of Kara's back. "Any suggestions how I do that?"
"Uh-huh," said Kara, as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him.
They kissed for several moments, arms and hands all over each other in the process. Kara, with much effort, then stopped the exchange before it went any further. "Down boy," she said, pulling away from an obviously aroused Lee. "Slow and steady, remember."
"I can go slow and steady," said Lee, with a sly smile.
Kara chuckled. "I am such a bad influence on you. But, it's late, and we really should be going."
"No, don't go," said Lee. "Kacey's sleeping soundly, and…well, I had something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Okay," said Kara. "I can stay a while longer, I guess. Can I put Kacey in your bed so we can talk?"
"Sure," said Lee.
Kara gently picked Kacey up without waking her, and carried her into Lee's bedroom. Lee sat down on the couch and waited for her. A few moments later, Kara came out of the bedroom and sat down on the couch with Lee.
"What did you want to talk about?" asked Kara.
Lee took a deep breath, and held Kara's hand. "I've been thinking a lot about what you said that night, when you came here with Kacey after Sam blew up at her. About you considering me to be Kacey's father."
Kara became hesitant about where the conversation was going. "Okay," she said.
"It's hard to describe what I've been feeling about that," said Lee. "It's been on my mind…a lot."
"Lee, you did say you wish she was your daughter," said Kara. "I was responding to that when I said what I said. But, if you…are having second thoughts…"
"NO!" said Lee, looking directly into Kara's eyes. "I am not having second thoughts! Well, not really second thoughts. I guess you could say the idea thrills me and scares me at the same time."
"I guess that's natural," said Kara. "I know you love Kacey, but having a child is a big responsibility. You already shoulder so much responsibility in your job."
"It's not that," said Lee. "I mean, you're right, it is a big responsibility."
"Then what?" asked Kara.
Lee sat still for a moment, looking down at his feet, and then back at Kara. "There's something I've never told you about. Dad knows, but he only found out by accident. It's something that I am most ashamed of in my life. And I'm afraid that if I tell you that you won't consider me a good person anymore, or somehow won't trust me with Kacey. But if I don't tell you, then you won't understand where I am coming from."
"Then tell me, Lee," said Kara. "You know so much about the things in my past I'm ashamed of. No one is perfect, and…you know I love you for all that you are."
Lee looked at Kara, and then poured a glass of water. "Before the war, I was seeing someone. You never met her. I didn't start seeing her until after Zak died. Her name was Gianne." He took a drink of water before continuing. "She…was a beautiful young woman. The kind any man would be proud to have. I thought she was what I wanted…what I needed. We lived together, and she was there for me. Always. In a way, she was kind of like Dee."
Kara looked down at her own feet, and then back at Lee, slightly nervous over the mention of Lee's late wife. She waited for Lee to continue.
"And like Dee, I didn't love her as much as I should have," said Lee. "As much as she deserved. Just before I came to Galactica for the decommissioning ceremony, she told me she was pregnant. That we were going to have a baby."
"Oh, gods, Lee," said Kara. "You mean, when the Cylons attacked, your baby….I didn't even know. You must be sick wondering what happened to them."
"I pray that whatever happened, it…happened quickly," said Lee. "That they didn't suffer. They had already suffered enough."
"What?" asked Kara.
"Kara, I didn't love her," said Lee. "Not enough to commit to her and her child. When she told me, I…I broke things off with her. I walked away, from Gianne and the baby. I abandoned them. I just wasn't read to be a father, and I didn't want to be tied to a woman I didn't really love."
Lee got up from the couch and walked over to his desk. He didn't sit at his desk, but rather stood in front of it, and stared at the wall behind where he would normally sit. Lee stood there for several moments, until he felt a hand gently touch his shoulder. He felt himself being turned around by the slight nudging of Kara's hand.
Lee faced Kara, who wore a serious expression on her face. "Lee, let me ask you something. Would you abandon Kacey and me?"
"No," said Lee, with confidence. "Gods, no!"
"Would you say you are a different person now than you were then?" asked Kara.
Lee nodded. "In a lot of ways."
"Do you want to run from me and Kacey?" asked Kara.
"Absolutely not," said Lee.
"What's different about me than Gianne?" asked Kara.
"Kara, I feel more for you than I ever could have felt for Gianne," said Lee. "I love you so much."
Kara caressed Lee's face lightly with her fingers. "Then why do you think this would have an effect on us?"
"Because it makes me question my fitness to be Kacey's father, and to be the man you need for her and for you in your life," said Lee. "I am so ashamed of what I did."
"So you should be," said Kara. "I'm not going to sugarcoat that. You were a bastard to that woman, Lee. And if you had done that to me, I would have never forgiven you. But, that is in the past. Gianne is gone, and you can't change what happened. You can just promise me that you will never do it to me."
"My word of honor, Kara," said Lee. "I'll never leave you in that kind of situation. I swear it!"
"Good," said Kara. "Then what happened shouldn't impact on us here and now. Besides, if we based our love on our past deeds, then you would never accept me after my role in Zak's death. I have full confidence in your ability to stand by me. I didn't always, but I do now."
Kara wrapped her arms around Lee, and he returned the gesture. "I love you, Kara," said Lee. "And I love Kacey. Never doubt that."
"And I love you," said Kara.
They kissed once again, and savored the feeling of being in one another's arms.
End of Chapter Three.
----------------------------------------------
Please let me know what you think of this chapter. Your reviews are welcomed and appreciated.