CH 13

The next few months went by quickly, Lauren was sent on a six month assignment to Tauron that she had eagerly accepted. Lee hadn't wanted her to go but it was an opportunity for Lauren to expand her knowledge and perhaps to find something she'd enjoy doing after leaving the fleet. Lee spent the time working on a project that was designed to create and test new styles of fighters.

When Lauren returned to Scorpion she found out that she was now entitled to a two week R & R so she immediately called Lee to see if they could meet someplace. He wasn't sure if he could get away but promised he'd find out and return her call the next day.

He pulled a few strings and cleared a pass for himself so they made plans to meet on Picon which was between them spatially. They spent their vacation being tourists and seeing all of the sights Picon had to offer, as well as spending plenty of time in their hotel room. Once more when they had to part Lauren felt as if a piece of her was being torn out but she knew that it wouldn't be forever. She made up her mind and vowed to Lee that she would do whatever she could to get herself transferred to Caprica finally and she knew with enough pressure she really could get her CO to let her go. Lee told her he wouldn't get his hopes up but she knew he was hoping for just that.

It took her four weeks to convince her CO, by constant pestering, to approve her transfer back to Caprica. She'd talked to Lee several times since her return to Scorpion but never told him of her attempt to transfer. She felt it would be a much better surprise if she just arrived with out being announced. While she was packing her things she called him to tell him that she'd be on a maneuver for a week and unreachable. That should give her enough time to get to Caprica and find him.

Her plan went off without a hitch and she arrived at the base on Caprica five days later. She discretely asked around about where Lee was, and found his off base flat in the local directory. She arrived at his doorstep one night and laughed as she knocked. Apparently he was in the middle of cooking a meal because he came to the door with a pot of water in his hand and a towel over his shoulder. His jaw dropped when he saw who was on the other side of the door and he nearly dropped the pot as well.

"Lauren! What are you doing here?"

"Surprise! I got transferred…guess where," her grin dazzled like the sun to him.

"Oh Gods but that's wonderful! Come on in I was just cooking dinner, I'll just throw more on if you're hungry."

"Starved actually. But I'd rather have a hug. And possibly a kiss if you could find it in your heart."

He laughed at her and ran across the room to the small kitchen where he put the pot down and loped back across the room to scoop her up in his arms. They kissed and hugged for several minutes until a loud beeping came from the kitchen and Lee ran back to the kitchen to rescue the food from burning. She walked across the room and sat on one of the stools by the counter, watching the ease and grace of the man she loved. He cooked a magnificent dinner and made it look like he hadn't even tried. They sat on the lumpy old couch for most of the night, laughing, talking and holding each other tight.

The next day Lauren reported to the base CO and was given her assignment. Thankfully she was put in the same area of the base as Lee so they could see each other more often. She turned down base housing and opted to look for a small flat in the city, an idea which Lee quickly shot down saying that she would have to move in with him. She loved that idea and they spent an afternoon rearranging the small flat to make room for her meager possessions.

Life settled into a routine for them and they eased into a happy normality. Lauren occasionally had to travel to the base on the other side of Caprica but she was seldom gone for more than a few weeks at a time. Soon their conversations began to emphasize their settling down and the idea of marriage was brought up. Lee was the one that broached the subject but Lauren never really committed to the idea. She kept changing the topic when it came up and Lee began to wonder if she really wanted to be with him.

Finally he confronted her about her hedging and she admitted that she didn't want to make the commitment without knowing for certain that she could find a life outside of the fleet. She knew Lee had wanted to open a bar or a restaurant and she supported his dream but she didn't see herself in that venture. She wasn't the type to wait tables or run a cash register. Lauren felt she needed to have a job that would make her happy as well and she wasn't sure if she could find something that would please her. Lee told her that he would happily take care of her while she looked but she refused his offer and made it clear that she would contribute or not be a part of the marriage. Lee respected her decision and the subject was dropped for a time.

Time passed quickly for the couple and they lived happily, and hectically day to day as they both became more respected members of the base's staff. Lauren had already been promoted to full Lieutenant when she was sent to Scorpion and soon after she arrived at Scorpion, Lee had been made full Lieutenant as well. Now Lee's CO was talking about bumping him to Captain and he was excited about the prospect. He'd made every effort he could to convince his CO that he was indeed supposed to be a Captain.