The Dance You Choose - chapter 12

oooooooooooooooooooo

Bodies clawed frantically at each other as their mouths hungrily devoured every inch of visible skin. Soon Kara was in nothing but a bra and panties, ironically the same ones as last time they'd attacked each other so passionately, and Lee was clad only in his underwear, though desperately wishing that would come off soon as well.

"Lee," she gasped, breathing heavily between kisses, "we can't ..."

"Why not?" he murmured, lips never leaving hers.

"What ... about ... Sam?" she managed to sneak out between kisses.

Her mind was filled with conflicting images - Lee touching and kissing her, Sam making love to her, Lee staring at her, never able to keep his eyes off her lips, Sam's wide, open smile of invitation ... Yet despite these images that tore at her soul, she couldn't stop her body from reaching out and taking that which she'd wanted so desperately for so long.

"Frak him," Lee whispered callously, pushing her roughly against the wall and tearing at the cotton straps of her bra.

"I am ... I do ... every day," she said, hands pushing his away so she could rip it off herself.

"Good for you, now forget him and frak me!" Lee growled, bending down and taking a nipple in his mouth and squeezing it unmercifully.

Whatever scathing reply was brewing in her mind was abruptly forgotten as he took the other nipple and did the same, causing her to whimper and shake against him as a small orgasm took hold of her.

"You want this don't you Kara?" he whispered, kissing down her abdomen softly as he went down on his knees. "You want me don't you?" he asked, pulling her panties down and flicking his tongue swiftly along her core.

She jumped as though she'd been electrocuted. "Yes!" Her body began to quiver as, after her admission, he began to work his tongue slowly, hands cupping her buttocks and squeezing gently. Her hands grabbed his hair and pushed him closer against her.

"Gods yes, I want you so much Lee ... " Her breath became ragged and she felt herself quickly losing control. "I never wanted ... hurt Sam ... I love him, but ..."

Lee stuck two fingers up inside her and began to work in and out quickly as his tongue flicked furiously back and forth. She cried out as another more powerful orgasm swept through her body. She was unable to speak - unable to think clearly even, so she just rode the waves of pleasure till her body stopped it's wild bucking and Lee stood up, face flushed and sweaty, and looked her straight in the eye.

"Is is still him you want?" he asked quietly. "Or me?"

Kara panted, mouth open as she sought for words.

"You," was all that came out. She let out a low growl of desire and pushed him back against the bed, tearing his underwear off and throwing him down.

She straddled him and sank herself down on him immediately, beginning a fast and furious rhythm that she knew would have her coming in a matter of seconds.

"When I married him," she gasped out between breaths, "i swore to be faithful to him ... to always love him ... to never love another ..."

She cried out as her orgasm shot through her and she pushed down hard, trying to get him as deep inside her as she could.

"Shit, Lee! ... I wish I didn't love you so frakking much ..." She pushed down hard again and nearly screamed as another orgasm followed the previous one, with barely a moment's breath in between.

"Makes it so much harder ..." She drew in a huge breath as her body slowed finally. " ... to leave you ..."

Lee growled something unintelligible in his chest and grabbed her hips roughly, throwing her to the side and climbing above her, never leaving the warm, throbbing cave he was so firmly esconced in.

"You're not leaving."

He began to thrust in and out of her hard and fast, exactly the way he'd spoken, body harsh and unforgiving.

"You're not leaving," he repeated firmly, voice becoming breathy as he began to pant. She felt him swell within her and her muscles responded, pulling him in deeper and deeper each time.

His movements became fierce, possessive, almost animalistic as he claimed her, body and soul. Finally he could take no more and he thrust deep inside her as his orgasm shook him.

" You're not leaving me!" he cried out, and through the words were firm and possessive, there was an undercurrent of vulnerability and desperation to them.

Oh Lee, if only you'd said those words earlier ... Her body bucked up against his and the two shook in perfect rhythm and pleasure for many minutes before they slowed and he collapsed, sated, on top of her.

They lay together, unspeaking, five minutes ... ten minutes ... then Kara pulled out from under him and began to dress. Lee sat on the bed, still buck naked, watching her.

"Tomorrow?" he said quietly, the invitation in his eyes as well as his words.

She looked at him for a split second, eyes unreadable, before she resumed dressing and looked away.

"I'll be here for a few days yet," she said cryptically, not really answering the question he'd asked. But then again, he hadn't really asked it. He hoped that the next few days were enough for him to convince her to change her mind about leaving. It wasn't till he'd lost her then gotten her back that he realized she was what he wanted, not the woman he'd tried to replace her with.

As he stepped into the shower spray after she left, he wondered what Dee would do if she ever found out what had just happened. She'd done everything in her power to get him in the first place and he didn't think she would be content to just let him go. Especially to her

Lee lifted his eyes to meet hers, for the first time in the telling of the story, and nearly decided to stop then and there. Her eyes were wide as saucers; dark and liquid with unshed tears. Her cheeks were coloured with a delicate blush and she looked uncomfortable to the extreme.

Kara for her part, did feel uncomfortable but she also felt an excitement in finding out her gut feelings about Lee had been right. She could tell by the way he'd been treating her the past few days that he cared for her as a friend and would protect her, but she'd felt a sexual thrill run through her body every time he touched her. While it had been a good feeling, it had also been saddening to learn that there was no 'them' - it meant the attraction was all on her side.

"Do you want me to continue?" he asked softly.

She nodded. "I need to know."

He nodded back, resignation written all over his face.

After their first night together things had only gotten more intense. Lee had worked the schedules himself to make sure he was off shift in the evening and Dee was on till midnight. He found reasons to ask Kara to come to his quarters and within minutes they were naked and all over each other.

The first couple of nights it was a wild frenzy, each of them having long pent-up desires that needed satisfying. By the fourth night however, things had changed. It wasn't that the love-making had gotten any slower - given the strength of the passion between them that wasn't likely to happen any time soon - but it was less desperate, more possessive. Lee sought to show her that she was his and always had been, even though she'd pulled away from him numerous times. Mind you, it wasn't like he hadn't himself - they'd both been so afraid of letting the feelings between them run wild that either or both of them had run at the first sign that things were going deeper.

The last night had been the toughest. Kara had come to his quarters voluntarily and had been the one to direct the pace and style for the evening. Lee had happily gone along with her as the aggressor, as that was the role he'd always cast her in in his imaginings. One just couldn't picture Starbuck as a passive participant, allowing the man to take full control, but he had been surprised in the six nights they'd spent together that she'd allowed him to direct things more often than not.

Kara slipped off the bed, sweat dripping down her temples and in rivulets down her back, and headed for the sink to wash off before dressing. Lee followed her.

"You can use the shower you know," he remarked.

She looked up and saw his naked, muscular body, glistening with sweat looking back in the mirror at her.

"I might be persuaded to join you," he coaxed, smirking.

Kara shook her head. "I don't think so."

"Why not?"

Why the hell hadn't he been this forward months ago instead of beating around the bush and driving her away, into another man's arms?

"I don't want to get too comfortable. These aren't my quarters."

"They could be."

She looked up and stared at his reflection levelly. "I'm going home in the morning."

"You don't have to. You could stay here. I can always use another good pilot and you're a fantastic instructor. You've worked miracles with my people."

She spun around and wiped her face dry. "I have a husband waiting for me."

She brushed past him and began to pull on her clothes.

"So what was this all about then?" he asked, the anger seeping into his voice as he followed her.

"Nothing. It was nothing."

"So, we're back to that huh?" he asked, eyes darkening by the second. "Nothing. Why were you so willing to spend the last week in my bed if it was nothing?" he demanded.

She looked him straight in the eye. "It was good sex."

"Good sex?" he shouted angrily. "That's it? It didn't mean anything more to you than that?"

Kara turned and walked towards the hatch.

"What about 'you love me'? You said you wished you didn't love me so much. Is this how you treat people you love? If so, I might actually consider feeling sorry for Anders."

Kara's hand hovered on the hatch, holding it open a few inches. Her eyes narrowed as she stared back at him.

"What do you want from me Lee?"

"I don't know - maybe to tell me you love me, that our time actually meant something to you ... that you want to stay?"

"i can't." She stuck out her arm. "I'm a married woman, remember? Sam is back there waiting for me."

"You could leave him." There was a note of pleading in his voice.

"You have someone already."

"Only because I couldn't have you."

There it was, the truth Lee hadn't been willing to admit to anyone, even himself, and the truth Kara had suspected all along but didn't want to believe.

She shook her head vehemently. "No, it couldn't work and we both know it. There may be something there," she went on, alluding to the last time they'd had this conversation, "but it's not the kind of thing you can build a relationship on." Her eyes dropped, unwilling to see the hurt radiating from his. "It's the stuff torrid love affairs are made of, and now our time together has come to an end. I have to go home."

"Kara please ..." he begged, the tears audible in his voice.

She turned her back and swung the hatch open completely. "Goodbye," she said softly, blinking back the tears she could feel gathering hotly in her eyes. She stormed out quickly and slammed the hatch behind her, not even noticing the small, dark-haired woman who stood there, a look of utter shock on her face.

Lee sat down heavily on the bed and buried his face in his hands. The tears soaked through them and began to drip onto his lap, spilling slowly down his legs and wetting the already damp sheets.

Kara had slid off the bed and scooted behind it during his continuation of the story, as if to hide from him.

"My gods," she whispered as he stopped. "I can't believe I was so horrible to you. Why ... why would I ...?"

Lee shrugged. "Things have always been tricky between us."

"But how could I do such a thing to you?"

His eyes met hers sadly. "That's not even the worst of it."

That was the last he'd heard from her in nearly three months. He'd heard of her from pilots who'd done supply runs and knew she was flourishing and seemed happy on New Caprica, so he never tried contacting her. His wounded pride constantly reminded him that he was better off without her anyway. So did Dee, who'd confronted him after Kara had left that night.

They fought quite a lot after that, but once he'd shown her that Kara was out of his life for good, she'd forgiven him and they'd become somewhat closer again. After all, he'd reminded her in one of their numerous arguments, hadn't she been frakking around with him while she was still Billy's girlfriend? There wasn't much she could say to dispute that and so the subject had been closed. Permanently he'd thought, until the day she came to visit.

"Commander Adama, report to the flight briefing room. Pass the word to Commander Adama. Report to the flight briefing room."

He picked up the nearest phone and contacted CIC.

"What's up Lieutenant?" he asked as Dee answered.

"You have a visitor." Her voice was like ice and Lee felt a shiver go down his spine. A somewhat familiar shiver ...

"Who is it?"

"You'll see when you get there." She hung up before he could ask any further.

He headed quickly down two floors and across the ship, noticing not for the first time how out of shape he'd become since quitting regular exercise. He was panting slightly when he reached the door, so he took a few deep breaths to steady himself.

He swung open the hatch to see a blonde vision in civilian clothes facing him. Kara.

There was silence between them as they looked each other up and down.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, somewhat rudely.

She was obviously flustered as her cheeks were flushed and she fidgeted nervously.

"I had to go to Galactica for a med scan and I thought I'd drop in and see you," she answered in a small voice.

"Something wrong?" he asked, tone not nearly as courteous as his words.

"No, no ... it's just ..." She seemed afraid to tell him. "I'm pregnant," she finally blurted out.

His eyes widened. "And you're telling me this because ..." He stopped and read her face. "Oh gods ... is it mine?" He paled visibly.

She nodded, unable to say the words.

Lee sat heavily. "Holy frakking hell."

TBC