Disclaimers-I don't own these characters, Ron Moore does

Chapter 2

Kara was numb. Never in all her life had she been so utterly exposed and humiliated. She knew she'd hurt Gaius Colonial night. She saw it in his face when she cried out Lee's name. But after the card game they'd come to a mutual agreement to just forget the whole thing. What he just did certainly violated that pact. That display wasn't only cruel, it was vindictive. There was a ghost of a smile on Gauis' features during that whole ordeal and Kara's numbness began to fade into white hot rage. "Let me go."

Not a request, a soft and dangerous demand, Lee noted. "No! No way. I'm not letting you walk away from this discussion, even if he does deserve the wrath of Starbuck for that little confession." His tone softened "At least he does if it were true?" He released her arms and turned Kara around so that they were facing one another. Gently, he cupped her face in his hand and asked her, "Is it?" She wasn't making eye contact with him, just staring down, and if Lee didn't know better he'd swear there was a slight tremor to her body.

Kara was tired…of the war, of the politics, of the uncertainty and lies. She couldn't play this game of flirt and flee anymore, she wanted Lee, as her friend if nothing else and that required honesty. She let out an exhausted sigh and answered him, "Yes. It's true."

She looked up at him as she made the admission and there was a fear in her eyes that Lee had never seen before. He'd all but called her a slut on deck that day because he had no idea how to deal with a jealously, he'd never expected to feel. The guilt over his behavior was overwhelming and Lee suddenly couldn't face her anymore. He tore his gaze away and he looked toward the ceiling with a sigh. How do you apologize for being the biggest asshole left in the human race, he thought.

Kara interpreted the break in eye contact as a sign of rejection. She'd just bared her soul and opened up to him, exposing a vulnerability that even Zak had never seen. And he was so disgusted he couldn't even look at her. Well FRAK him! Kara tore her face away from Lee's grip and pushed him as far back as possible and yelled, "Get out."

Lee was flustered, "What? Kara I'm not going anywhere until you let me…"

"Let you what? Explain why you can't stand to even look at me because you think I'm such a whore! Listen to you list off the reasons that I'm not good enough for you?"

"NO!"

"Well I don't want to hear anymore about what a screw-up I am, so just get out. GET OUT!" She was breathing heavy and she grimaced at how shrill her voice had become, but right now she needed to be alone.

When Kara got riled like this there was no reasoning with her and Lee really didn't want to get into another physical altercation. He needed time to sort through his thoughts and emotions before he could talk to her without making things worse. He needed to fix this, but now was not the time. He spared a glance at her as he moved toward the opening in the curtain and the sight of Kara broken and holding back tears made Lee hate himself. He turned back towards the exit, intent on letting her cool down. He didn't dare face her, but she needed to hear this one thing...to believe it...to know. With his most tender tone of voice Lee told her what he should've that morning on deck, "You're not a screw-up Kara" and then he was gone.

The tears she'd been holding back leaked silently out her eyes as she held her breath in a vain attempt to force her body back into control. Lords, Thrace you're pathetic, she thought. Kara allowed herself a deep breathe and a small self-deprecating smile. She pushed away the salty trails from her face with a frustrated growl, only to realize that her confrontation with Lee had zapped all of her previous energy. Her lids fluttered closed as she thought about what Lee had said on his way out, and a final tear escaped as she vanished from the waking world.

Lee returned to Life Station two hours later only to find that Kara was fast asleep. Normally when Kara slept, there was an innocence in her features that was rarely seen in the light of day, but now there was a noticeable tension in her body. He still didn't know what to say to her, but at least he knew what he felt.

He was in love with Kara.

Looking at her now, all the reasons for keeping emotionally distant and ignoring the building tension between them seemed ludicrous. He had been dancing around the issue hoping the complications or the feelings themselves would suddenly disappear. Instead his inaction and indecision allowed another man to cut in and take her away. The thought of Gaius Baltar touching her was nauseating, but that very knowledge was Lee's penance for the role he played in alienating her. Knowing that Kara wanted to be with him, to the extreme of calling out his name, gave Lee hope that she may forgive him.

He approached her bedside cautiously and tucked a few wayward bangs behind her ear. Kara gave a soft sigh, turning her face to unconsciously follow the heat of Lee's hand. The stress in her face seemed to melt away as he gently stoked her cheek. A genuine smile gave way to a light heart as Lee felt the intimacy of this stolen moment engulf him. He bent down and kissed her forehead lightly, taking a moment to inhale the scent of her hair, and when he withdrew his touch, he was rewarded with one of Kara's sleepy smiles. He reluctantly stepped back from her bed to let her sleep and then made his way over to his father's cubicle.

When Kara awoke many hours later she felt worlds better. In fact she was feeling well enough to brave a little adventure to visit her fellow Life Station prisoner. She needed to make things right with at least one Adama today!

As she approached the only guarded Life Station cubicle, she recognized the marine on duty as Jason Riso. "Hey Jay," she nodded her head at him as she hobbled over to the curtains with the help of her cane.

"Starbuck! Good to see you're back with us…at least mostly" he gestured the cane with his last remark.

"Well aside from providing added support, this cane increases my ass-kicking radius by 2 feet, so it's a good trade off" she laughed as she made to pass. Suddenly she felt a solid arm grip her shoulder preventing her from moving forward. In fact, Jay was in the process of forcing her back a good 5 feet from the entrance before she let loose on him, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Sorry Thrace, I've got orders. No one goes in to see the commander."

"No one?"

"Major Cottle, immediate family, and military personnel authorized by Colonel Tigh. That's it."

"Riso, don't be stupid you know me. I would never…"

"Neither would Boomer" he countered with a sad but deadly serious tone. "Look, I like you Starbuck and I'd trust you withmy life…but not his."

"I'm not a frakking cylon" she told him with her most authoritative voice. Kara took a deep breathe, Jason was a good guy and she had to remember that he was only looking out for the Old Man. The annoyance slipped off as she asked "Just let me see him, Jay."

"Marine!" Kara cursed beneath her breathe as she heard Tigh's voice disrupt their conversation.

"Sir, yes, Sir" Jay saluted as the X.O. approached.

"You will escort, Ms. Thrace back to her bed at Life Station and if she attempts to come near the Commander again, you are to take her directly to the brig and inform me immediately."

Kara rounded on Tigh in the blink of an eye and would've decked him for good measure if the warm touch of Lee's hand on her shoulder hadn't frozen her in her tracks. He must have been visiting his father and heard their 'discussion'. Frak.

"What's going on here?" His question was directed at Tigh, but the comforting hand remained on Kara's shoulder spreading warmth and calm through her entire body. Her back was too him and although she couldn't see his face she could hear the anger lacing his voice.

"Visitation to the Commander is highly restricted; surely you can appreciate that Captain."

"Lt. Thrace is not a cylon, sir." Lee stared hard into the eyes of Galactica's X.O. Paul Tigh, his father's best friend, was nowhere in sight and all that remained wasthe second in command with all his prejudices against a surly pilot.

"Starbuck has been gone for two weeks on cylon occupied Caprica and during that time she was under the influence of a Cylon whose copy shot the Commander, your father! We have no way of knowing whether she has been brainwashed by the Cylons. The fact that she brought that frakking traitor back speaks volumes to her loyalties."

"Helo refused to come back with me unless I brought her along," Kara argued, "I wasn't going to leave him behinda secondtime. He's convinced that toaster is carrying his baby and…" she fell silent as guilt drowned her final argument.

"And what?" Lee pressed.

"And I wasn't sure you'd believe me, about Boomer being a Cylon unless I brought her back with me as proof" she conceded. Kara knew that her unauthorized trip would damage her credibility, and as much as she didn't care what the masses thought of her, she held the opinion of the Adama men in high regard. While on Caprica she'd had time to realize that they may not take her at her word anymore and she would need to back up her argument.

"Regardless of your recent career decimating journey," Tigh pushed on "you have no basis for visitation. You are not a critical member of Life Station medical staff. Nor are you authorized military personnel, in fact, I just signed the final discharge papers less than an hour ago." A pregnant silence followed this admission, finally broken with "And you sure as hell don't qualify as family."

Lee felt Kara's posture slump at that blow initially, but he could tell she'd regained her poise as she told Tigh with irrefutable certainty "I am family."

"The frak you are!" Tigh exploded.

Kara instinctually retreated back a step, unconsciously, bumping into Lee's chest, but she held her gaze firmly on the XO.

Lee didn't like where this was headed. Kara was going to go ballistic on Tigh any moment and if truth be told he was hard pressed to hold his own tongue. If she lashed out at Tigh, he'd lock her in the brig, and that would only make the whole situation worse.

Tigh knew he was pushing Starbucks' buttons, but he'd had it with her bullshit. "If you had married Zak, or even if he were still alive, you would have a legitimate basis for visitation, but as it stands now you are a dishonorably discharged, frak up, civilian and I refuse to let you waste anymore of my time…" Tigh motioned towards the drawn curtains, "or his."

Kara growled as her last remnants of control evaporated, but for the second time that day Lee Adama restrained her from pummeling another superior-asshole. The satisfied smirk that appeared on Tigh's lips as Apollo restrained her only fueled her rage and she ranted at Lee "Let me go!"

"No" he told her forcefully.

"Gods' damn you Apollo. LET ME GO."

In contrast to her request, Lee pulled her around to face him and tightened his grip. Kara looked him in the eye and their earlier argument resurfaced in her mind. The look on his face was indecipherable, but she simply couldn't detract from his gaze. "I'm sorry Kara, but Tigh is right."

Kara was shocked beyond words. She knew she had frakked up but she couldn't believe that he was siding with Tigh on this. His tone of voice was analytical, almost detached, like the subject was of little importance and Kara suddenly wanted to scratch those blue eyes out.

Lee continued, "You can't beat this problem into submission and you can't circumvent the system. This time you have to play by the rules." As he spoke he changed his restraining hold, so that now he was merely ensnaring her wrists in front of her. Lee's stoic demeanor shifted to a slow smile as he asked, "Kara Thrace…will you marry me?"

A/N:If you sawthat one coming you get an imaginery cookie!