Chapter 14

Lee was both happy and relieved when things went back to normal between Kara and him. Sam's appearance and Lee and Kara's subsequent fight were now just a blip in the past… for the most part. He would be lying if he said that he hadn't given the incident any thought after the fact; that it wasn't still on his mind.

The way Lee saw it; Sam's visit had simply caught him off guard. Some people might consider his spout of jealously as a sign of some sort of deeper feelings for Kara, but he had convinced himself that wasn't it.

Lee tended to be an idealist; he wanted to hope for the best with any given situation. It made him want to think that Kara and he could become something more, when they were really just friends. But the fact there wasn't anything more between them was a good thing, because if he tried to make it into something else… realistically the chances of it working were slim. It would only hurt them both, and completely frak up their friendship, something he didn't want to risk. Also, it was clear that Kara only viewed it as sex, which was all the more reason for him to as well. He was happy with the way things were, and the very last thing in the world he wanted to do was frak it all up.

***

Over the next couple of days, things returned completely to normal, at least on the outside. On the inside however, Kara was feeling entirely different. Try as she might, she could not get Jean's words out of her head. Her friend might be a bit of a goof, but at the same time, she had an uncanny ability to be right about these kinds of things. Maybe there was more than just sex between her and Lee.

Obviously they had a strong friendship as well, but was there even more than that? Every time Kara thought about the possibility, her stomach churned painfully and yet a part of her hoped it was true. However, the part of her that was doing the hoping shouldn't exist. She wasn't a romantic person, she never had been. Kara was practical, not idealistic. She'd been through too much shit already in her life to have an optimistic outlook. The fact that Lee was turning her into that kind of person… she wasn't sure if that was good thing or not.

Kara began to lose track of how many nights sleep she lost thinking about it. During the day, when she was around Lee, she was usually completely successful at not thinking about anything other than the immediate present. At night, when her mind had nothing to do but wander, it was completely different. One night, after nearly a week of not getting any sleep, Kara was lying in bed, tossing and turning when she decided that she needed to come to some sort of conclusion before she lost her mind.

Throwing the sheet down to the foot of the bed, and kicking it off violently, she sat upright. She ran her hands through her already thoroughly tousled hair, and bits of her conversation with Jean replayed themselves in her mind for the umpteenth time.

"So many women would kill for what you have… This is the happiest I've seen you since you blew out your knee… Didn't start out as … things can change…"

Kara nearly growled in frustration. This wasn't supposed to be complicated. It was supposed to be no strings attached sex between friends. Great sex, an inventive way to pass the time in the summer, but that was it.

However, if things could change, maybe they already had. If she looked at the summer from one point of view she could practically convince herself that Lee had feelings for her past friendship. But if she relived her memories with a different, more practical set of eyes, then it showed nothing past the obvious, nothing past what was supposed to be there. The problem was she had absolutely no solid evidence of how Lee felt, or what he was possibly thinking. It was all conjecture, and the uncertainty was screwing her up.

She supposed the real question she needed to answer was what did she want? Unfortunately she had no idea.

Her last relationship hadn't exactly worked out well, even before the cheating. Kara knew Sam had told her it was completely his fault, and that she shouldn't let it affect any future relationships, but… Kara sighed. She wasn't a typical girlfriend. She definitely wasn't the kind of girl a guy wanted to take home to meet his parents. Didn't Lee deserve someone like that?

Part of her rebelled at the thought, because Lee and her were happy when they were together. Because once again, Jean was right—Kara was the happiest she'd been since blowing out her knee, and if she was honest, Lee deserved a lot of the credit for that. And she'd like to think that she made him happy too. He certainly didn't seem to mind spending most of his time with her, whether they were frakking, running or just hanging out. It hadn't started out as anything more than friends with benefits, but Kara thought Jean was probably right again: things could change.

Kara's mind swirled with both sides of the situation and she let out a sigh of frustration. She still didn't know what to do, or what she wanted. But she needed to make some sort of decision, or this was going to drive her insane over the last two weeks of summer.

Suddenly, an idea formed and Kara smiled, even though she was alone and no one was there to see her. That was it; there were two weeks left still. The end of the summer was approaching, but it wasn't here yet. She had half a month left before she had to make a decision.

Maybe something between now and then would offset the balance and tip her to either one side of the fence or the other. It also meant that in the meantime, she could enjoy herself, and not worry about this stupid internal war. Before Lee left, she would make a decision, whatever felt right at the time.

Perhaps it wasn't the most perfect solution, but it would do well enough for now. Kara felt mostly satisfied by her choice of not choosing, and managed to fall asleep with a smile on her face for the first time that week.

***

Two days later, Kara was barely thinking about the future at all anymore. Every once and a while it crossed her mind, but knowing that she didn't have to make any sort of decision until the end of the month helped to relax her mind.

Kara wandered downstairs around mid-morning. She'd been awake much earlier, when her and Lee had gone for their run. But after coming back to the house and showering she'd promptly fallen back asleep. She'd had a late night, partially due to her shift at the bar, and partially due to Lee.

She smirked as she caught sight of him from the bottom of the staircase in the living room. He was lounging on the couch, his feet propped up on the coffee table as he read a book. He looked just about as lazy as she felt. Needless to say they'd become much more adept at sneaking around behind Michael's back, and there was rarely a night when they didn't manage to hook up. Determination was a wonderful thing…

Kara was about to say something to Lee when she caught sight of her brother peering out into the living room from the kitchen. Michael was looking at Lee, and seemed satisfied when Lee didn't see him. A smile formed on his face and he turned, presumably headed for the back door, but Kara stopped him.

"Hey, where you going?" She asked, her voice easily carrying into the other room.

Michael froze mid-turn and Lee sat up on the couch, glancing back at his friend. Lee's eyebrows rose in question. "Heading out?" He asked.

Michael nodded, trying to seem casual. "Yeah, just for a bit."

Lee shared a look with Kara before looking back at Michael. "Where are you going?" He asked.

Michael shrugged his shoulders. "Just… out."

Lee seemed like he was trying to hold back a laugh. "Oh yeah?"

Michael nodded. "Yeah. I'll be back in a couple of hours." He headed for the boot room, and both Kara and Lee watched him curiously as he hurried to jam his feet into his sandals and fish the car keys out of his pocket. As he was half way out the door, he called out behind him, "Don't make any plans for the rest of the day!"

Then the door shut and Kara turned to find Lee already looking at her. "Was he talking to you or me?" Lee inquired. Kara saw that his book was now lying on the coffee table, forgotten.

A smile crept onto her face and she shrugged her shoulders in response. "I have no idea," she said as she started to make her way to the front of the couch. "He's been acting weird lately. Or, more weird than usual."

"Yeah," Lee replied, chuckling slightly, "I noticed that too."

"Know what else I noticed?" Kara asked coyly, as she stopped, standing in front of Lee, who was still sitting.

Lee grinned. "I have no idea," he replied, his voice light.

"I noticed that my brother said he'd be back in a couple of hours, and you know what that means…"

Lee's grin widened substantially. "That means we have at least two Michael free hours."

Kara nodded, subconsciously biting her lower lip between her teeth while she smiled. She placed her hands on Lee's shoulders and pushed him back against the couch. A second later she was straddling his lap and his hands had already found their way beneath her T-shirt. Suddenly, she was not feeling lazy at all.

***

Lee leaned his head back against the armrest of the couch and tried to catch his breath. Kara attempted to do the same as she rolled off from on top of him, somehow managing to squeeze herself between his side and the back of the couch. Lee lifted his one arm and wrapped it around Kara's shoulders, pulling her closer against him, and stopping his shoulder from jamming into her in what he was sure had been an uncomfortable way. She didn't seem to mind the change of position and settled her head on his chest, while throwing one leg over both of his.

For a few minutes they just laid there. As Lee was about to suggest that they get up, for fear of being caught, Kara spoke. "I hate summer," she stated firmly, and Lee was caught off guard.

"Uh, why?" He asked, talking into her hair due to how she was curled around him.

"I'm all sweaty," she complained in a whiny voice, and Lee couldn't help but laugh. "Hey, so are you," she added as she rubbed her hand over his damp chest to prove her point.

"I think it comes with the territory," he told her as he smiled. Kara was a lot more amusing than most people gave her credit for.

"I need a shower," she stated after another moment. She sounded like she was resigning herself to a terrible fate.

Lee laughed and unwrapped his arm from her shoulders to that she could sit. He was surprised when she turned to look at him with an evil-ish glint in her eyes.

"What?" He questioned warily as he sat up as well.

She was still grinning as she leaned over to kiss him. Lee was just about to part his mouth to heat things up when she pulled away and stood up, leaving him dazed for a few seconds. "You need a shower too. And since we're sort of running on a schedule here…" She paused while she picked up her clothes from the ground. "We should approach this in the most efficient manner possible."

Lee grinned broadly when he caught onto her idea. "I think you might be right, Thrace."

She smirked. "I know I'm right, Adama."

Lee hurried to pick up his clothes and follow her into the shower upstairs.

***

Kara had been more than a little disappointed when Lee had kicked her out of the shower, before things could even get interesting. He had checked his watch, (which was unfortunately waterproof, because else wise he wouldn't have been wearing it), and pointed out that Michael could be home at any minute. She had grumbled and reluctantly left Lee in the shower while she towel dried her hair and made her way downstairs.

She was sitting on the couch, and had just turned on the television when Lee came down to the living room too. He smiled at her sweetly, and she really couldn't be mad at him. Because as much as she'd been looking forward to the rest of the shower, having to explain it to Michael might not have been worth it. Still, she couldn't resist teasing Lee, at least a little.

"So, how was the rest of the shower?" Kara asked as Lee took a seat beside her. "Lonely?"

Lee laughed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, Kara, but…"

She relented. "Yeah, I know." She turned on the couch, so that she was facing him, and when Lee angled his head towards her, she pulled him into a deep kiss that sent her pulse racing. After his hands had instinctively found their way to her hips, she broke the contact between their lips and moved her mouth to hover next to his ear. "But it would have been amazing…" she said quietly, and Lee groaned.

She laughed, and before she could pull away completely, Lee nipped her earlobe playfully. "Some other time," he whispered back, his deep voice turning her on more than she would ever care to admit. "I promise."

Kara beamed as she moved back into her own space. "You realize, I'm going to hold you to that."

Lee was smiling. "I expect nothing less."

A second later they heard Michael's car pull into the driveway, and Lee gave Kara an 'I told you so look', which she promptly ignored as she grabbed the remote and started to flip through the channels aimlessly. It wouldn't hurt to try and at least make things appear normal for when Michael walked in. Of course if her brother was looking for something to find, he might be suspicious, especially given that Kara's hair was still quite damp, and Lee's was definitely wet. But he was so dense about these types of things that Kara was certain he wouldn't guess it in a million years.

A few moments later they heard the back door open, and something that sounded like a bag hitting the floor. Kara couldn't help but be curious, especially with Michael's recent odd behavior. It seemed that Lee was too, because he hopped up off the couch and wandered into the kitchen; Kara followed.

The first thing she saw was Michael, dropping a second bag onto the floor. The second thing she noticed was the person behind him. He looked familiar, but before she could place it Lee spoke in an excited voice. "Zak?!"

***

Lee could hardly believe his eyes when he looked past Michael to see his brother standing in the doorway. Zak beamed at him and stepped around Michael, not hesitating to throw his arms around Lee. "Hey, big brother," he said lightly when he pulled back.

Lee grinned broadly. "What the frak are you doing here?" Despite his words, his tone left no room for doubt of how he felt about Zak's presence: he was thrilled.

"A couple of weeks ago I called to see if you were planning on stopping by Caprica City at all before the school starts up again, but you were out. So I talked to Michael for a bit on the phone, and he suggested that I fly out here and stay for a few days. And we figured this way I could surprise you."

Lee laughed. That would explain why Michael had been acting weird. "Well, you definitely surprised me." He looked Zak over for a moment, taking in the details. He seemed maybe a little thinner, his hair a bit longer, but overall not much had changed since Lee had last seen him. "You look good," he said. "So how are you?"

Zak smiled, but didn't answer. "Think you maybe want to…" He was looking in Kara's direction.

Lee felt slightly embarrassed as he clued into the fact that Kara and his brother had never met. Thankfully Kara saved him from further awkwardness by introducing herself.

"Kara Thrace," she said, smiling at Zak as she stuck her hand out.

"Zak Adama," he replied, shaking her hand briefly. "Nice to meet you."

"You too," Kara said, sounding completely genuine. "I've heard a lot about you."

Zak smiled at her. "As much as I'd like to say the same, I've heard absolutely nothing about you." Zak threw a quick glance to Lee, who ignored it.

It wasn't like he hadn't talked to Zak since arriving at the Thrace house at the beginning of the summer. They'd had a couple brief phone calls, and had exchanged a few emails, but the topic of his new friend with excellent benefits hadn't exactly come up.

"Kara's a viper pilot in training at the Academy," Michael added after a second.

"Oh," Zak replied. "So are you and Lee in the same flight class?"

Kara shook her head. "No, we're based in different cities. Same year though."

Zak nodded, before turning to Lee. "So, how's it been?"

Lee smiled. "Good, how's it been with you? How was your year at school?" They'd talked about Zak's second year at university a little bit already, but it was a lot better to talk about it in person. Zak filled him in on new stories that he hadn't told Lee, and also recounted some he had. In the mean time they had all found their way to the kitchen table, and someone, likely Michael, had pulled out four cans of soda from the fridge for them to drink.

Lee wasn't sure how long he spent catching up with his brother, but it must have been hours. When Zak ran out of things to talk about, Lee started to fill his brother in on his year at the Academy. As he talked he couldn't help but notice that his brother seemed less enthused by military stories than normal. At first he thought it might just be his hopeful imagination, but when he described a very entertaining sim run and Zak only smiled politely, Lee knew something was up.

Kara and Michael were talking quietly about their dad. Apparently he'd called earlier in the week, to let them know that he was going to be in town soon, doing a concert, and that he had tickets for them if they wanted. Michael wasn't that interested in Academy tales, and Kara had already heard the story more than once.

It made sense that neither of them were into the story, but Zak had always loved hearing about the military. Something was different, and being the brother he was, Lee called Zak on it.

"So is there something you want to tell me?" Lee asked Zak quietly. His voice matched his feelings: a mix of concern and a hint of hope.

Zak looked at Lee questioningly. "I don't know what you're talking about…"

Lee shook his head. "Come on, Zak. For years all you've been able to talk about was flying in the military, just like dad wants us to. Now I'm telling you all these stories about first year and if it weren't for the fact that I'm your brother, I'd think you could care less."

Even though the majority of Lee's attention was focused on Zak, off to the side he noticed Kara and Michael stop talking, and both subtly shift their attention to his and Zak's conversation.

Zak sighed. "Honestly, Lee, I'm not sure I want to become a pilot anymore."

Lee had to hold back an exclamation of relief. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with that," he told Zak without hesitation

Zak smiled. "I know. I mean, up until this summer I was planning to, but then Dad…"

"Dad?" Lee asked, wondering how the hell it was his father was connected to his brother's change of mind.

Zak nodded. "Dad gave me some other careers to think about."

Lee could hardly believe what he was hearing. He saw Kara throw a concerned glance his way, but he didn't acknowledge it, because he was too busy trying to wrap his head about Zak's words. "What kind of careers?" He asked warily, thinking that this had to be to good to be true.

Zak smiled. "A whole lot. Some in the military, some not. He knows that I'm doing really well in all my bio classes, and that they're my favorite. I think he must have stopped by some career guidance place or something, because he came home at the start of Galactica's overhaul with a whole bunch of pamphlets, and brochures and stuff. And he was letting me bounce ideas off of him, to see what I might be interested in doing."

Lee felt an unexpected lump form in his throat. His father had done that?

"So anyway, I spent a lot of time doing research, and thinking about it and… I'm pretty sure I want to become a doctor." He smiled widely, obviously thrilled with his decision. "Maybe a civilian doctor, maybe military, I haven't decided. But if I go military then they'll help pay for my school, and I think I still want to serve, at least for some time. So what do you think?"

It took Lee a second to collect his thoughts enough to answer. "I think it sounds amazing, Zak. Especially if this is really what you want to do."

Zak nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, it is."

***

Kara watched Lee and Zak's conversation, wondering the whole time how Lee was taking all of this. From the sounds of it, Lee's words during the previous semester break had a huge impact on his father. It was a good thing, Kara knew, but she wondered what Lee must was thinking. She knew that in his mind, fighting with his father was like bashing his head against a boulder: painful, tiring, and absolutely pointless. But it looks like in this case, the boulder may have moved an inch, or possibly a mile.

Of course, the first thing Michael did was hone in on the fact that someone else around was actually interested in medicine. He started to talk animatedly to Zak about different med schools, and profs, and a whole bunch of other stuff that Kara was not interested in at all. But she was glad, it gave her a chance to observe Lee unhindered. Unfortunately, he did look like he'd just gone a few rounds with a rock.

Kara was suddenly grateful that she was sitting in the chair next to him; it allowed her to do the next thing that came to mind. Slowly, so as not to attract attention, she moved her hand underneath the table and placed it lightly on Lee's knee. The touch caught his attention immediately, and the next thing she knew he was staring at her, a somewhat still stunned look on his face.

She squeezed her hand lightly and mouthed the words 'You okay?'

It took him a second, but the stunned looked disappeared and he nodded at her, a hint of a smile appearing on his features. She smiled back. Then from the corner of her eye, Kara thought she saw someone looking their way. She automatically pulled her hand back to her own side, but when she glanced over at the other two, they were still talking. However, a second later, Zak caught her eye for the briefest of moments and she could have sworn that he smirked. Except before the expression had a chance to fully register, his gaze had moved past her to look at Lee as he began to say something else.

TBC