Gaius
"Lee…ahh Lee."
Gauis froze. It felt like someone had just thrown him into one of the ice cold pools under the waterfalls near Caprica's mountains that he'd once visited. He rolled off Kara. She was pretending that he was her precious Captain Adama. He could've had his choice of admirers last night—he never thought it possible to love politics but he found that he did indeed love the power that came with it—but he had chosen her. Kara. And this is how she repaid him?
He laid flat on his back and stared at the ceiling while he listened to her slip into her dress and leave the room without saying a word. He heard the metallic clunk of the door closing behind her. It was like a thief had just robbed him of his dignity and self respect. This was a new feeling for him and he found that he didn't like it at all. He was always the one in charge. He was always the one to do the choosing and he was the one that left all the broken hearts in a littered trail behind him. No, he didn't like this feeling at all.
He slid off the bed, wrapped the sheet around his waist, and went and poured himself a drink. Six just sat there, watching him. How unusual that for once she didn't have a word to say. He gulped down the glass of ambrosia, the glass nearly breaking when he slammed it down on the table. Six still hadn't moved or spoken. She just sat there looking at him like he'd somehow hurt her, as if she was capable of caring or feeling anything. He bent to pick up his clothes that had been so carelessly strewn around the room last night. When he stood she was gone. Thank the gods, he was alone at last.
His eyes strayed to the rumpled sheets on his bed and he squeezed his eyes shut to block it out. He had been drawn to Kara from the moment he had first met her. He wasn't sure why. She wasn't at all like the type of woman that he usually preferred. He had become quite accustomed to gorgeous women throwing themselves at him. A smile creased his face. Ahh, those were the good old days back on Caprica. He had become quite bored with it, really, truth be told. It was just one of the perks of being a living genius that he had come to take for granted. How he longed for those days again.
Kara was beautiful, he couldn't deny that, but in a tough sort of way. She ignored him, mocked him even, but that had only made him want her all the more. Why was he so drawn to her? Was it her wild spirit; her need to rebel against authority; or was it just simply the ingrained male challenge in him that needed to conquer her? He wasn't sure, but in the end he'd won, after all. He'd had her last night. He just had to keep reminding himself of that fact. Too bad he was left with such an awful taste in his mouth this morning.
He passed by the officer's mess room and saw a card game was just starting up. Lovely, anything to get his mind off this morning. He strode into the room. "Do you mind if I join in?"
Lt. Gaeta and Dualla looked up and Crashdown swiveled in his seat to face him. "Sure, why not?" Crashdown answered for them all and gestured to an empty chair next to Dualla. Gaius settled into his seat and watched Crashdown shuffle and then deal the next hand. He already had a small pile of winnings in front of him when Lee came in and joined them. He silently watched Lee across the table. It kept repeating in his head. Lee…ahh, Lee. He wanted nothing more than to just lean over and strangle Lee with his bare hands, but that was just so beneath him. He poured some more ambrosia into his glass and downed it.
"You can't compete with me," Gaius said, his words slightly slurred. "I always win."
"Well, I'm sorry," Apollo replied with half a laugh.
Then Six reappeared. She was disappointed with him. Thinks I am a common man, indeed. To hell with her.
He called the hand, and won. He knew he would. He beat Lee. He always wins. He slid his winnings towards him but some fell to the floor. He bent down to retrieve them and when he sat back up Kara was standing in the doorway. "Gaius," she said.
"Mr. Vice President to you, if you don't mind, Lt. Thrace. Some level of decorum has to be maintained, after all, or is it a pirate ship you're running?"
"No, just a Battlestar, sir."
"Would you like to play? Maybe you'd like to sit next to Captain Adama."
Lee looked up at Kara. "Sure, Kara, why don't you pull up a pew?"
Kara's eyes remained riveted to Gaius. "No, it's okay, Lee, I've got things to do." She turned and strode from the room.
His eyes slid away from the door and her retreating back. He had wanted her to hurt as much as she had hurt him. So why was he disgusted with himself at that little display? He'd succeeded in putting her in her place. He glanced up and caught Lee staring at him. He saw the moment when Lee figured out that he'd had Kara last night. He stared straight into Lee's eyes and smiled. Like he'd said earlier, he always wins.
