And they lived happily ever after.

I know. That's not a very Battlestar Galactica-type ending, is it? So you'll have to forgive me that I left Kara and Lee so happy, so healthy, so blissfully purged of angst. I couldn't resist.

But if it's any consolation, I'm sure they'll do something to frak things up again, soon. But I thought I'd leave that for someone else's fic.

This fic began as my way of grappling with the spoilers I had read about for Lee's behavior in episode 213, 'Blackmarket,' which will air in early February, 2006 in the U.S. (And by the way, you can find lots of details on the actual spoilers if you visit the forum, Galactica Actual. But the spoilers threads are for members only, so you'd have to register.)

My imagination kept trying to guess how Lee could have behaved that way, and why. And since I'm a diehard Kara/Lee shipper, I focused on what the spoilers might mean for Lee's relationship with Kara.

And so the story became very much a love story for them.

I started writing out my first chapter about 6 weeks ago. I figured it would be about three chapters, and maybe 25 pages long.

It's ended up as seven chapters, and about 90 pages long, and it's consumed an enormous amount of my energy and thought for the last six weeks, as well as eating up lots of hours that I had earmarked for things like, you know, sleep.

But I have so loved writing it. The great thing about fanfic is that you can make these characters—characters that you love so much,--behave exactly as you'd like them to. You need to keep them "in" character, of course, but you can put them in situations or create dialogue for them that the show won't, or hasn't, done yet.

So, now, while I've—hopefully!—kept them as recognizably Kara and Lee, I have also allowed them to talk and talk and talk. They've been able to air all their painful untold secrets, the ones they've tried to push deep down and ignore. And talking about them has opened the way for them to admit—finally!—how much they care about each other.

Now, once this episode actually airs, and it ends up being completely different (of course!) than my version of it, 'Secrets' will once and for all enter the realm of AU.

But that's okay. Because even if Kara and Lee never un-screw-up themselves… Even if they never talk, or never kiss, or never admit how much they care about each other….. Even if BSG the show never lets them do any of that, I can offer myself a little bit consolation with this---At least they've done it in my fic, lol.

I want to thank all of you who have "tuned in" with each chapter! I've never written a fanfic before, and I learned immediately that there is nothing so nice as people taking the time to tell you—hey, I liked your story! So, my special thanks for those of you who've done that.

And now. A final shameless request! Even if you've already reviewed an earlier chapter or two, let me know if you liked these final two chapters, okay? I grew very fond of them as I was writing them, and I'd like to know if you liked them, too.

And if you haven't yet reviewed at all, well, there is a little blue-gray button down on your bottom left that has your name on it.

Thanks!

And here's to the new episodes of BSG! May Lee and Kara get it on!