Summary: We pick up the next day with Kara who, after an 8-hour rotation, decides to catch some rack time while the pilot's quarters are relatively quiet.

PART 14

Kara pulls a stogie out of her locker; lights it and blows out a deep breath with a stream of smoke. She tilts her head from side to side working out a couple of kinks in her neck; then sits on the edge of her bunk. Her patrol had been uneventful, but she is still a little hyper after the shift; the shower didn't bring her down like it usually does. She's got a lot on her mind: the almost crash still wreaks havoc with her sleep sometimes; it's fine during her waking hours, but when she's at that point of almost sleep she relives it sometimes. Lee has been great, not hovering, but being supportive. When she heard his voice in her ear while trying to land yesterday, it had been exactly what she needed. He's like that sometimes, just knowing what's necessary. He's also a royal pain sometimes, like when he's losing at Triad and he tries to distract his opponent, usually without much success. She had been on the receiving end of that during their marathon game that started this whole thing between them. Lee starts flirting with her and she flirts right back. It had been a great time. They are leaving together when she makes a comment about being horny and wanting some relief, fully expecting Lee to make fun of her and start suggesting people for her to hook up with. He doesn't. Instead, as they're stumbling down the corridor, laughing at each other's attempts to actually stand upright, Lee makes a smart-ass comeback along the lines of "Why didn't you say something sooner, I'd be happy to oblige you." They're not even half-way to the pilot's quarters when they both realize it would be smarter to just stay in one place until the world stops spinning. That's when their adventures begin.

As Kara pulls her legs up under her and settles back against the wall, she has to admit she is having a great time with Lee. They've known each other for a long time and she's very comfortable with him. He's seen her at her worst and it's never deterred him from being her friend. He doesn't make excuses for her and he's not afraid to call her on her behavior, when it's less than stellar. He knows her better than most. Really knows HER, not the woman who seems like an open book, but hides a lot of baggage. It freaks her out a little. She doesn't get comfortable in relationships. Relationships? Where the hell did that come from? Kara hasn't done relationships since Zak and she's not in one with Lee. Relationships are out in the open. We most certainly aren't in the open. That's half the fun. It would be nice to just be able to come and go as they please and not be concerned with military regs, gossip, and that stupid bet. She really doesn't care about the bet anymore. She is more worried about the gossip and the regs, and the only reason she cares about the gossip is because the Old Man will probably be disappointed in her…and Lee. Other than that…let people talk. She leans back on her bunk, stretching out her legs and quietly smokes her cigar.

Kara looks up when she hears the hatch open. Lee walks into their quarters and doesn't pay attention to her. She narrows her eyes as he walks over to his locker and grabs his workout gear. A wicked thought pops into her head of a better way he can get a good workout. She swings her legs over the edge of her bunk and sits up, stubbing her cigar out in the ashtray. "Hey." When Lee turns toward her, she smiles. "Going to work out?"

Lee looks down at the workout clothes in his hand. "That was the plan." He walks over and sits on the edge of the table beside the bunks. "Why?"

Kara looks around the bunkroom. "We're all alone in here." She grins. "I've got a really good way you can get your workout."

Lee ponders her words. "Hmm. Don't think that would be such a good idea." He shakes his head back and forth. "No, I think I'd better pass this time." He waits. Class is in session.

Kara's not sure how to respond to this development. "Care to tell me why?" She stands and moves a step closer to Lee.

Lee smiles inwardly. "I've been thinking about what you said yesterday." He looks up at her. "You're right. I have been getting sloppy."

Kara rolls her eyes. "I was joking, Lee. We've both been careful. You just threw me a little yesterday." She moves up to stand between his legs, forcing him to lean back to look at her.

Lee's not quite done with his lesson yet. "No. You're right, Kara." He makes a move to stand. "We've been together three times in the last four days." As Kara begins to get an angry look on her face, "Geez, Kara, I'm not complaining. I'm agreeing with your point."

Kara groans to herself. "By the Gods, Lee. I was JOKING." Since he seems to be fixated on her supposed point, she switches gears. "But, okay, I'll let you go to your workout." She trails her fingers up his arm. "To be fair, though, I think you should have to think about what you'll be missing here." She grabs his chin with her fingers and pulls him to her lips. The kiss ignites a fire in her and she'll be damned if he gets out of this room until he extinguishes it.

Kara's kiss almost makes Lee forget his lesson plan. Just as he starts to respond deeply, he pulls back. "Uh, thanks for the warning." He stands, grabs his clothes and heads toward the hatch. "I'll be in the training room if anyone needs me."

Kara stares at him for a moment. He's leaving. Now? Uh uh. "Lee, so help me, if you walk out that door I'll kill you in your sleep." She walks quickly over to the hatch before he gets there. That's when she notices his smile. Oh, she's been had. "I may still kill you. You ass."

Lee laughs. "You so had that coming." He picks her up and carries her over to the table, kissing her as he sets her on the edge. "Consider that a no charge lesson in payback." He chuckles at her disgruntled expression and kisses her again. Hopefully it will distract her into not retaliating.

Lee's kiss did more than distract her it set her on fire again. "Clothes." Kara breaks their kiss for a moment. "Off." While kissing Lee again, she unzips her shirt and tosses it on her bunk.

Lee already has his shirt unbuttoned. He pulls his arms out and throws it in his locker. He breaks away from the kiss "Pants, Kara." Making short work of getting his off, they follow his shirt into the locker. "Your turn." He swoops in with another kiss.

Kara grabs the waistband of her sweats. "Bunk, Lee." She pushes her sweats down and hops with one leg out of them while pushing Lee over to her bunk. "Now…" Another deep kiss as she's trying to get her sweats off the other leg. "Right now."

Lee needs to grab his workout clothes off the table. "Kara…" He reaches his arm out, but the clothes are just out of his reach. "Wait…just a sec." He snags the clothes, and then just sits on the edge of the bunk. Kara is now kissing his back and he's enjoying it. "Oh…that's nice."

Kara pulls Lee into the bunk with her. "Close the curtains." She's kissing his arm now and loves the feel of muscle under her lips. "Please." She grabs Lee's clothes and shoves them out of the way, as he shuts the curtains. "I want you right now."

Lee makes sure the curtains are closed completely, then he turns to Kara. They're side by side on the bunk and Kara is kissing his throat. Lee runs his hands down her back to her behind and pulls her closer to him. Skin to skin. He loves the feeling, when there is nothing between them. "I want you, too." He then grabs Kara's chin and pulls her lips to his.

Their kiss is heated. Tongues melding together passionately, their kisses blend together, leaving both gasping for air. With arms and legs entwined, they both move together in a dance as old as the ages. Caressing, touching, stroking each other with heated embraces. Neither can get enough of the other.

Savoring the contact, but seeking more, Lee leans over top of Kara, "I need to be inside you, now." He kisses her shoulder and nips at her collarbone.

Moaning quietly, Kara opens her legs. "What are you waiting for?" She pulls him over her and lifts her hips as he slides himself into her. She catches his groan with a burning kiss. "Ah…Gods, Lee."

As Lee enters Kara, he literally feels the temperature rise. "Hot…so hot," he whispers, knowing that neither will last long. Spontaneous combustion wouldn't be far off the mark. "Ah, frak…Kara." He feels the burning between them increase when Kara meets his thrusts. "Lords…so good." He's having a hard time maintaining control because he's very close to exploding inside her.

Kara lifts her hips against Lee's, thinking My Gods, this is incredible. "Harder, Lee." She whispers and urges him with her hands on his ass. "Oh…please…that's it…good." She feels every stroke he makes within her as her breathing increases to match the pace of his thrusts. "Gods, Lee…more, I need more." She lifts her hips and locks them as Lee moves his hand between them and strokes over her sensitive nub. "Ah…Frak!" She clenches around him and buries her face in his shoulder to quiet her moan of release.

As Kara tightens and spasms around him, Lee feels her hands slide up his back. "Oh. That's it Kara." Her head is buried in his shoulder and he feels her gasping against him. "Let it go." His words die when Kara moves her hips again. "Ah, Gods Kara." He swells inside her and surges against her. Once, twice, and with the third, empties himself within her. "Ohhh…"

Kara silences his moan with a kiss, that turns into a series of small nuzzling kisses as they both try to catch their breath. As they shift position, turning on their sides to face each other, she pulls Lee against her, not wanting to give up contact with him yet. Her hands are in his hair and she's still moving against him, little ripples of pleasure flowing all through her body.

As they both regain control of themselves, their hands are still touching and caressing each other in a satisfied 'love this feeling' kind of way. Just as their lips are coming together for another kiss, they hear the hatch door slam against the wall as a couple of nuggets walk into the room arguing with each other. They both tense up for a moment, and then remember that Kara's bunk curtains are drawn. They just have to be very quiet.

The argument between the two nuggets is increasing in volume and doesn't sound like it's going to end anytime soon. Kara looks at Lee with a 'How do we get them out of here' look. Lee shrugs his shoulders. He's got nothing. They're in her bunk. It wouldn't do to have the CAG yell at them from here. Kara purses her lips in thought for a moment, then smiles at Lee and motions for him to cover his ears.

When she's sure Lee has his ears covered. "DO YOU TWO FRAKKIN' MIND? I'm trying to get some sleep over here." She doesn't even pull the curtains open, figuring that will get her point across even more than the yelling. It also kept her from having to referee a disagreement between the nuggets. "Take your damn argument somewhere else. Now!" Kara has a difficult time keeping laughter out of her voice because Lee's shoulders are shaking from listening to her give the nuggets hell.

"Frak. Sorry, Sir." This comes from one of the nuggets. "Didn't know you were in here. We'll just be going now." Nobody wants to piss off Starbuck.

When Kara hears the hatch door close, she risks a peek outside the curtains. The room is empty again. She turns back toward Lee and lets out a bark of laughter. "That'll teach 'em." She shoves her hand against Lee's shoulder. "You idiot. It didn't help to have you laughing your ass off."

Lee sits up and pulls Kara against him. He laughs again. "Sorry. I was just picturing their faces if they had decided to pull open the curtains." He sobers. "Actually, we're probably lucky they didn't. They are nuggets, after all. Takes them a while to learn the rules sometimes." He reaches around Kara to fish his workout clothes out from underneath the sheet.

Kara thinks about what Lee just said. "Frak. You're right." She grabs her shirt. "What the hell was I thinking?" She slips the shirt on and zips it up. "Quarters are off limits as of right now."

Lee pulls his shirt over his head. "Check out there again." When Kara pulls open the curtain to a still empty room, Lee slides to the edge of her bunk and quickly dons his shorts. "OK. No more getting naked for pleasurable purposes in quarters." He walks to his locker and pulls out his shoes. "How about the office? Tomorrow, say 0900."

Kara pants are inside out, so she rights them and pulls them on. "0900 works. I've got a status report due to be turned in on the last two trainees." She straightens her bunk and sits back down. "I'll bring it with me and we can go over that, too."

Lee finishes tying his shoes. "I'll be looking forward to your report, Lieutenant." He sits beside Kara, glances at the door and then kisses her soundly, leaving her breathless. "Dress casual, Kara. It makes things easier." He hops up and sprints for the door, grinning at the dazed look on her face. He turns back. "Tomorrow." Then he exits and heads for the workout room.

Kara shakes her head, then whispers, "Tomorrow." Then she stretches out on her bunk; punches the pillow and really tries to sleep this time, the word tomorrow echoing through her mind.

FIN