He's Lost That Loving Feeling

By: Ian K.

Spoilers: Some minor ones about a couple of characters in the series.

Disclaimer: I own nothing related to Galactica. We all know who does. I make no profit from this story.

Story Type: Alternate Universe, takes place before the events of the mini-series and the series. General story on the humorous side.

Author's Note: This story needs a bit of explaining. When I first starting writing the other BSG fanfic I've been working on and just finished, "If You Had Been There First", I worked out this scene in an Officer's Club where Lee and Kara meet up and get into a card game. I wrote a version of the scene, and let's just say that "Top Gun" is one of my favorite movies, so I wanted to incorporate a famous scene from that film into my story, with a little twist. But after I wrote it, I decided that it was too hokey, so I re-wrote the scene and put the second version in the story rather than the first. But I just showed this alternate version to a friend of mine who is a BSG and Top Gun fan, and he thought it was a hilarious. Since the story I was writing is now done, I decided to publish this story to as an individual story, after reviewing it and touching it up a bit to make it work as a one-shot story. I also added in the next chapter from the original story that comes after that scene because it was a reader favorite from the other story and thought it might be amusing to revisit it in this setting. So, readers who have not read my other story might still like this, and those that did might get a kick out of seeing this version of the scene. So here it is. Let me know what you think.

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Kara Thrace entered the Officer's Club on base after a hard day working with her nuggets. Her best friend, Lt. Shane "Artemis" Flavia, who was also an instructor at the Colonial Flight Academy, accompanied Kara into the club. The young woman was about Kara's age, with beautiful eyes and long dark hair.

"So, a couple rounds before we scare up a card game?" asked Shane.

"I'll need a few," said Kara. "I sweat, it seems every class of nuggets that comes along gets dumber and dumber all the time. I still can't believe that Adama kid botched all those maneuvers."

"Don't dwell," said Shane. "We're here to drink and forget, remember."

The two ladies sauntered up to the bar and ordered some ambrosia. They sat and drank the first round, as they surveyed the room for possible candidates for a card game. As they ordered their second round, Kara's eyes settled on a young officer sitting on the other side of the bar. She looked at him for a few moments, watching him drink alone with a sort of bored look on his face.

"Hey," said Shane. "I see you've spotted a nice target."

"Huh?" asked Kara, looking back at her friend.

"That guy you're staring at across the bar," said Shane.

"I'm not staring at him, I just recognize him," said Kara. "You know that kid Zak Adama I've got in my class."

"The class frak-up," said Shane. "What about him?"

"Well, that is his big brother, Lt. Lee Adama," said Kara. "I met him earlier today."

"That guy is Zak Adama's brother," said Shane. "Come on! That guy looks like a total tight ass. Zak is such a cut up!"

"He may just look like a tight ass," said Kara. "I don't really know him."

"He is cute though," said Shane, smiling. "I'd almost be willing to saunter over there and give him a chance to have his ticket punched."

"Oh, please," said Kara. "He hardly seems the type."

"Like you just said, you don't really know him," said Shane. "He may look like he's a by-the-book kind of guy, but then he might just be a wild man in bed. I'd bet we'd break the bed in twelve places if I ever got him near it!"

Kara snorted her drink and laughed. "Frak me! Shane, sometimes I don't know who has the fouler mouth or dirtier thoughts! You or me!"

"So, back to the original thought," said Shane. "Of sauntering over to him."

"So, go ahead," said Kara.

"No, you saw him first," said Shane. "You try it."

"What!" said Kara. "Come on, I'm not in the mood."

"I dare you!" said Shane. "I dare you to see if you can loosen that guy up!"

Kara looked down at her drink, and then at Lee, then smiled. "Okay," said Kara. "But you have to give me a little assistance."

"What kind of assistance?" asked Shane.

"Well, let's just say," said Kara, putting her hand on Shane's shoulder. "He's lost that lovin' feeling."

Shane looked at Kara for a moment before she finally understood what she meant. "No he hasn't," said Shane, with apprehension.

"Yes, he has," countered Kara.

"No…"

"Shane, he's lost it," said Kara, getting up and walking towards Lee with a smile.

"Man, I hate it when he does that," said Shane, who got up and followed Kara with an irritated look.

Kara sauntered up to Lee and tapped him on the shoulder. "Excuse me," she said.

Lee turned and recognized Kara, but before he could say something, Shane walked up. "Sorry, Lieutenant, I'll take care of her," she said.

They turned like they were leaving, but then they turned back to Lee. Then, Kara began to sing. " 'You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.'"

Lee looked at her with astonishment, as Kara and Shane both continued to sing. " 'There is no tenderness like before in your fingertips. You're trying hard not to show it…"

Then, a group of pilots that had gathered joined in. " 'Baby! But baby, believe me I know it! You've lost that lovin' feeling! Oh, that lovin' feeling! You've lost that lovin' feeling, now it's gone, gone, gone, oh-a-oh, oh-oh, oh-oh…"

As they trailed off, Lee looked positively mortified. Kara smirked at him, and spoke. "So, does a performance like that deserve a drink?"

Lee looked at her for a few moments with the same mortified and embarrassed look. But then, he started to laugh. "Sit down," he said.

The crowd cheered, then began to disperse. Shane walked over and patted Kara on the shoulder. "You owe me, Starbuck," she said.

Lee ordered a round of ambrosia, and looked with a smile at Kara. "So, have you two been doing this kind of thing long? Singing to pick up guys in bars?"

"Hey, a girl's gotta find a way to get a guys attention," said Kara, as the drinks were served. "Besides, it got me a drink, and a chance to have it with you."

"Your dark haired partner in crime mentioned owing her," said Lee. "What did she mean?"

"Well, she bet me that I wouldn't be able to come over here and get you out of your shell," said Kara.

"My shell?" asked Lee.

"Yeah, I was trying to figure you out, see if you were really the by-the-book tight-ass that you carry yourself like," said Kara.

"Well, not all of us can moonlight as bar singers," said Lee.

"So, you sit here in the O'Club looking bored," said Kara. "I'm surprised your not hanging out with Zak."

"He hit the rack early," said Lee. "Said you're a real ball buster who is going to put him through the ringer tomorrow on his quals."

"Smart boy," said Kara. "So you just here to drink?"

"No, I was actually looking to see if someone had a card game going," said Lee. "But I didn't see one, and I don't really know the lay of the land here in terms of who the players are."

"Funny coincidence," Kara said. "Shane and I were here to do the same thing. You a good player?"

"I can hold my own," said Lee.

"Where, at night in your bunk?" asked Kara.

Lee chuckled. "Anywhere. At the card table, I've found many a competitor wanting."

"Hmm, we'll see about that," replied Kara.

Kara brought Lee over to Shane and introduced them. They then hooked up with a couple of other pilots and sat and played cards for a while, engaging in conversation between plays. Kara was seeing that her first impression of Lee Adama as some kind of tight-ass Daddy's boy was wrong. He was a much more relaxed in this environment, and could joke around as good as the next person.

One hand came down to just Lee and Kara left in the running. The others had folded, knowing that Kara probably had a winning hand considering how confidently she was bidding. Lee, however, bid right back just as confidently. In the end, Kara came out on top, and Lee quietly put his cards on the table and watched Kara collect her winnings.

"Apollo," said Razor, one of the other pilots. "Rule number one playing cards with Starbuck, she tends to win a lot as you can see."

"Don't feel so bad, Apollo," said Kara. "Your money will have a nice home in my wallet."

Lee sat back in his chair, a thoughtful expression on his face. In his mind, he was considering the winner's cock-sure demeanor. "Okay, sexy as she is," he thought, "this lady needs some humbling, and I'd love to do it. But I'm just not sure I can beat her at cards." That's when inspiration struck him.

"So," Lee said. "The Darby Queen still challenging the best and brightest pilots in the colonies?"

"You bet," said Hawk, another pilot. "That obstacle course is still the toughest nut to crack in the Viper training program."

"Starbuck here is our reigning base champion," said Razor.

"Really," said Apollo. "Care to prove that, Starbuck?"

Kara looked up at Lee with surprise. "Do I hear a challenge in that question, Apollo?"

"Well, I'd like an opportunity to win my money back," said Lee. "And I think that despite your reputation at cards and as a pilot…I could out fly you anywhere, anytime."

A chorus of "oohhs" sounded out from the other pilots at the table. Other pilots in the room, overhearing the conversation, walked over to the table, whispering that some visiting fighter jock had just challenged Starbuck to out fly him on the Darby Queen. "Poor idiot," was what most of them were saying.

Kara puffed on her cigar, then crushed it out in the ashtray on the table. "You looking for an ass creaming, or are you just sick in the head?"

"You sound pretty confident, Lieutenant," said Lee. "I'd say too confident. And like I said, I'd like to win back my earnings."

"I don't know," said Kara. "Betting money on a flight competition. Just seems so—boring."

"You chicken?" asked Lee, earning another chorus of oohs, this time from the whole gathered crowd.

Kara smirked. "Hardly," she said. "But if I'm going to out-fly your ass, I want to earn a better trophy than just more money. And if I had my guess, I'd say you don't want the money back as much as you want to kick my ass at something and don't think you can do it at cards. So…I propose an alternative wager."

"I'm listening," said Lee.

"If…no, when I kick your ass," she said. "You will give me your flight wings."

"My wings?" he asked.

"Sure," she said. "Can you think of a better trophy? You can always requisition another pair."

Lee was hesitant for a moment, and his pause gave Kara enormous pleasure. Then, he smiled. "Fine, my wings…against your pants."

A third chorus of "oohs" echoed from the audience.

"Excuse me?" asked Kara.

"Can you think of a better trophy for me when I kick your pretty ass?" asked Lee.

"You just want to see me drop trou, is that it?" asked Kara, a sardonic smirk. "If you're hot for me, you should just say so."

"In your dreams," said Lee. "I just want your pants in my trophy case."

Kara took a drink from her ambrosia, and then reached out her hand. "Agreed."

Lee shook it, and the gauntlet was thrown down.

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(The Next Day)

Lee Adama stepped down from the Viper, and saw the cheering crowd gathering on the tarmac. The look on his face was grim because the crowd wasn't gathering for him. They gathered around another Viper, where Kara Thrace was getting out, a look of triumph on her face. She lit a cigar as she sat in her Viper's seat, and stepped down from the ship with the lit cigar in her mouth.

Lee walked over to Kara's ship and the gathered crowd, the latter filled with people shouting their congratulations to Kara. He was dreading this moment ever since he lost the competition in the air with Starbuck. He almost won, but she pulled a hair raising maneuver that he thought no sane pilot would try, and managed to beat him to the finish.

The crowd parted for Lee Adama, with a few pats on the back and "nice tries" from the pilots. He faced Kara, who held a look of victory on her face and cockiness exuding from her every move.

"Well, Apollo," said Kara. "Here to pay up?"

The crowd got quiet, observing the moment with almost reverent silence. Lee slowly removed his flight wings from his jacket, and held them in his hand for a moment. Kara observed a look of genuine sadness pass over Lee's face, and almost told him to forget about it. For some reason, these wings seemed to mean a lot to him.

But Lee handed them to Kara. "Your prize," he said. "You earned them. That was a hell of a piece of flying. I've never seen anything like it."

Kara reached out her hand, and Lee took it. "Don't feel so bad," said Kara. "You almost kicked my ass out there. I'd fly with you anytime."

"Hey Starbuck," said Artemis. "Drinks at the O club to celebrate your triumph, after you've showered and changed."

"Apollo," said Razor. "You're welcome to join us."

"You bet," said Lee. "First rounds on me."

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An hour later, the instructors at the Colonial Fleet's Flight School were lifting their cups in celebration at the Officer's Club. One of their own had been challenged by an upstart visitor, and the former had cleaned his clock. If ever a reason to celebrate, the gathered crowd felt this was definitely a good one.

As Kara accepted the kudos of her peers, she saw Lee Adama sitting alone at the bar, quietly drinking ambrosia. He looked genuinely depressed, a stark contrast to his bravado of the night before. "Gee, I must have busted up his ego pretty good," thought Kara. "He didn't strike me as the sore looser type."

She made her way over to the bar, and ordered a drink. Sitting beside Lee, Kara smirked. "So," she said. "Not feeling like celebrating with the rest of us, huh?"

"I lost, remember," said Lee. "What do I have to celebrate?"

Kara sighed, taking a drink from the glass given to her by the bartender. "I can't believe you are being such a sore looser. You look just like Zak does when he fraks up. You've got the Adama pout."

"I'm not a sore looser," said Lee, smiling at Kara. "You are an amazing pilot, and you earned your victory. I'm just pissed at myself."

"Why?" asked Kara. "Because you lost?" As Lee looked away, Kara let out a thought that was irritating her. "Or is it because you lost to a woman?"

Lee looked at Kara with surprise. "Frak no," said Lee. "Neither of those two, especially the latter."

"Then what is it?" asked Kara.

Lee looked down at her uniform blouse. Kara followed his gaze, then looked up at him with a smirk. "You're seriously trying to gawk at my breasts, aren't you?"

Lee looked away quickly. "No, I wasn't looking at that…them…uh…"

Kara chuckled. "Then what were you looking at?"

She looked down at her uniform, then realized what he was looking at. "Yes, I'm wearing my trophy," she said, fingering the flight wings she won from Lee. "Does it really bother you that much that you lost a pair of wings to me? Don't you have extras?"

"Sure, but I never wear them," said Lee.

"What makes these so special?" asked Kara.

Lee was quiet for a moment, not sure whether he wanted to share his feelings with her. After a few moments of silence, Kara began to get irritated with the closed off Lee Adama. "Fine," said Kara. She took the wings off, and put them on the bar. "Take 'em back."

Before she could step away from the bar, Lee grabbed her arm. "Wait," said Lee. "I'll explain."

Kara stood there and waited, as Lee looked at the wings on the bar. "These wings belonged to my father," said Lee. "They were his first pair."

Kara looked at him in shock. "You…you gambled away your father's wings," she said. "Frak, Lee, that was stupid!"

Lee looked at her pointedly. "No kidding," he said. "I've been kicking myself ever since I saw you win that little sporting match of ours. Now…I've got to find a way to tell him, and to live with having lost something that was so important to me."

Lee turned back to his drink, while Kara looked away at her friends, all drinking and laughing. "Don't worry about it, Kara," said Lee. "It's my frak up, not yours."

Kara looked at the wings, then looked at Lee for a long moment. "Here," she said, pushing the wings over to Lee. "I don't need your father's wings to prove I kicked your ass. Everyone knows. That's enough."

Lee pushed them back to Kara. "No, you keep them, you earned them…"

"I won, remember," she said. "A winner always has the right to refuse the honor she's won. Besides, this was a battle of flying skill, remember? I think I showed who was the better pilot, don't you?"

"Or the luckier pilot," said Lee.

"Don't make me regret giving those wings back, Adama," she said.

Lee smiled, then picked up the wings. "Thanks, Kara," he said. "I…I owe you."

"I guess you do," said Kara. "Don't worry, I'll find a way for you to pay me back."

Kara was about to rejoin the others, when Lee stopped her. "Hey, Kara," said Lee.

"Yeah," she said, turning to face him.

"You know that Zack has to study tomorrow night for his mechanics exam," said Lee.

"Yeah, and it's a bitch of a test as you and I both know," said Kara. "So?"

"Well, tomorrow is my last night here before I have to return to the Columbia," said Lee. "What do you say I buy you dinner tomorrow night?"

Kara looked at him with an incredulous expression. "Dinner?"

"Yeah, a nice restaurant but nothing too fancy," said Lee. "I think the Orion Grille is still open, isn't it?"

"Yeah," said Kara. Her face broke into a grin that started to grow larger in size. "Did you just ask me out on a date?"

Lee turned and looked at her with an expression of a deer caught in headlights. "No, I um…"

"Lee Adama wants to date me!" she said, with a self-assured, but playful tone.

"No, I thought it would be a good way to pay you back for…the wings…the bet," Lee stammered.

"Maybe you were staring at my breasts after all, huh," said Kara, with an even more playful tone. "Think you're going to get to see 'em in the flesh if you feed me first?"

"Kara, all I wanted to do was buy you a meal as a way of saying thank you for the wings, and as a way of clearing my debt with you," said Lee. "But, if you're not interested…"

"Yes," said Kara, quickly replying. "Yes, you can take me out tomorrow night. You have a car?"

"I'll borrow Zak's," said Lee.

"Pick me up at 18:00," said Kara. "Officer's quarters building 9, apartment 421."

Kara turned and walked towards the door of the Officer's Club, apparently deciding not to rejoin the party. As she did, Lee looked at her retreating form, and decided he wanted to play with fire one more time. He was curious about the reaction.

"You know, Starbuck," said Lee, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Good thing you won, because if I had beat you, I don't think you would have ponyed up your prize."

Kara stopped, and turned around, a look of irritation on her face. "You sayin I'd welch on my bet?"

"No," said Lee. "But I'd bet you wouldn't have the guts to drop trou in front of all these people. So how could you have given me my trophy?"

Kara smiled, knowing Lee was daring her, then reached down to open her fly. Kara stripped off her pants one leg at a time, over her shoes, while the crowd watched in shocked silence. She then threw the pants at Artemis.

"You'd loose that bet," she said to Lee. "Artemis, bring those back to me later, huh?"

Lee watched her go out the door in all of her de-pants glory, as the crowd began to laugh and cheer. "Oh, baby," he said quietly to himself. Lee Adama had never been so turned on by a woman as he was in that moment by Kara Thrace.

The End

If you are interested in reading where this story goes from here, read my other BSG story "If You Had Been There First." It gives you how the story began, with the other version of the scene in the O' Club from this story, and where the story progresses to. In the meantime, what did you think of this version of events? Let me know with some reviews. Feedback is always appreciated.