Kara stared at the artificial sun. If she squinted long enough and tilted her head just enough to the right, it actually felt real. More than that, it felt like Caprica.

"I can't remember the last time I felt sunlight on my face."

Kara smiled down at where Lee sat in the artificially grown grass. "Almost like the real thing?"

"I miss it."

The sadness in his voice tugged at something inside of her, and she fell down next to him. "Will you do me a favor, Lee?"

Lee watched her for a moment before nodding. Kara reached out to push him until he was completely stretched out on the ground. She settled into the ground next to him and let out a sigh.

"What are we doing?" Lee asked after a few minutes.

"Can't you feel it?" Kara rolled her eyes when he shrugged. Her fingertips glided across the side of his face before guiding his eyelids shut. She could feel the tension leaving his body already. She reached across his body to grab his hand. Opening it up, she placed it in the grass and pushed it closed. "Just breathe. Feel it."

Lee let out a deep breath just as she asked and let himself feel the sun and the grass and the cool air surrounding them. He could feel her eyes on him, moving along the length of his body as he tried to concentrate. A part of him wondered if this was all part of her plan. They had had barely a moment to talk since the attack on the tylium mine. She had kissed him to within an inch of his life a week ago, and they hadn't had time to admit how wrong it had been and agree they could never do it again. Lee figured that meant he didn't have to ask her to stop staring at him.

He could feel the right side of his body begin to warm. It took him a few seconds to realize it wasn't because of the artificial sun. Kara had inched in close to him when his guard was down. He moved his arm over an inch in the grass until his hand felt hers. "I think I can feel it now." He opened his eyes to see her smiling at him.

"I used to do this all the time when I was small. I would find a quiet place somewhere on the base and just lay for hours, watching the clouds blow by. It was always so calming."

Lee stayed silent. This was the first time Kara had spoken of her childhood since admitting what her mother had done to her when she was nine.

"Tell me about growing up on Caprica," she whispered. "What was it like to live in one place your whole life?"

"I don't know. It was nice, I guess."

"Tell me why."

"It was just the little things. I built a fort with Zak in the park, and it was still there the last time I was home. I could grow up with the same kids on my street, the ones that were in my class at school. It would rain the night before Colonial Day, but it was always shiny the day off."

"Stability is nice," Kara mumbled.

"The best was when I was on break from school. I knew I would be going out to the lake with Zak and my mother. I always had those horrible hot months in the summer to look forward to, and every time Zak would find some way to break the air conditioner in the house about halfway through our vacation."

Kara flipped onto her stomach and kicked her feet in the air. Her fingers stayed laced in Lee's. "Did you always live in the same house?"

"For my whole life, it was the same old wooden house on the outskirts of Caprica City. My Dad used to come see us on his shore leave up until I was ten."

"Why'd he stop?" Kara knew it was the wrong question to ask when Lee turned his head away from her and shut his eyes again. "Never mind," she said before he could say anything.

"No, you want to know. I'll tell you."

"You don't have to. It's just you've been dropping hints to me that something happened between you and your father since the second I met you. Zak doesn't seem to have the same problem, so I was just curious what a father could do to push away one son and not the other." She sighed. "Gods. I'm sorry, Lee. I can be a real frak-up sometimes."

Lee turned to look at her. "My father had to chose between his family and the military. He chose the military."

Kara could feel the missing pieces clicking into place, and she knew even if he didn't say anything else, this was enough.

Lee continued, "My father's career was failing as the need for a massive military force dwindled. He was never really around that much, and then when he lost his job, he put everything he had into finding a new position. He should have come home to take care of his wife and children."

"You felt abandoned."

"Frak yeah, I felt abandoned. I was the man of the house even before he and my mother got divorced. It isn't easy for a ten-year-old to take on that role." Contrary to the sadness in his words, Lee smiled up at Kara. "In a way, I'm glad he wasn't around. We could have gone on for years with him visiting for a few days here and there, swooping in to get Zak excited and then leaving just as quickly."

"It must have been hard for you," Kara said, toying with the watch on his wrist.

Lee shrugged. "It had its perks. I helped my mom raise Zak. I watched out for him like a father would, and honestly, I'm grateful. I don't know if Zak and I would have such a great relationship otherwise."

"I wish I had that kind of love."

"It can be a pain in the ass sometimes, but I wouldn't give it up for the world."

"When I was little, I always wanted a little brother to teach how to catch or someone to blame that broken dish on. Then I realized how horribly selfish that was." Kara looked out into the slowly setting artifical sun. "I would never wish another child into the home I was stuck in."

Lee had to fight back the urge to move his body in to hold her. They were still out in the open. Even holding hands was risky. "I'm glad you turned out so strong, Kara."

Kara smiled down at him. Gods, the urge to kiss him was always there. It never left her, not when she slept at night and certainly not when she found a moment in private with him. It was becoming dangerous to be around him.

"Lieutenant Thrace, Captain Adama."

Lee dropped Kara's hand and pulled himself up off the ground. Straightening his tanks, he tried his best to not to look like he had just been caught having inappropriate relations with one of his pilots. "Is there something you needed, Kat?"

"Sir, they wanted me to tell you that your shift running security is over. The President's safely aboard Colonial One. You can go back to Galactica until the morning."

Lee nodded and got to his feet. Kara hadn't moved. "You're dismissed, Kat. I'm sure you have better things to be doing."

Kat gave him a quick nod before backing away. Her eyes lingered on Kara for a moment, and Lee was suddenly reminded of Kara's first official trip to the brig. He had a feeling the two pilots still hadn't ironed out whatever it was that made them fight. Kara was going to have to work on that if they didn't want Kat to report their inappropriate relations out of spite.

The idea of Kara apologizing for anything made Lee finally realize just how screwed he was.

At least they had one thing going for them right now. Hot Dog had been smart enough to realize whatever he had mistakenly witnessed in the bunkroom the day Lee interrogated that Cylon was not the kind of thing you blabbed all over the Fleet. For some reason, he was keeping quiet, and Lee wasn't about to jinx it.

"Kara, we need to move if we're going to catch the last shuttle to Galactica."

Kara rolled over on her back and pouted. "I don't want to go. Do we have to?"

"If we don't get on that shuttle, we're stuck here for the night."

"Would that be such a bad thing?"

Lee arched an eyebrow, wondering if she really meant that like he was thinking.

Kara giggled and pulled herself to her feet. "As if you would actually say frak you to the regs without me holding a gun to your head." She pushed Lee's shoulder playfully as they started making their way across the large grass expanse. "Now let's go, Adama, before they send even more of your pilots to break up our little bit of fun."

"I think this promotion is going to your head, Kara. I am still your superior officer."

"At the rate I'm going, in a few months you won't be."

Lee chuckled. The idea of Kara surpassing him to take over the job of CAG was ridiculous. "I doubt the pilots would mind the change," Lee joked.

"I think they're finally warming up to you." Kara smirked. "I mean, it might have something to do with me pointing out to the females that you're probably the best looking CAG in the history of CAGS, but I'm sure they think you're good at your job, too."

"Hey! If it works…" Lee's voice trailed off as Kara smacked him upside the head. "Seriously, though, what would I do without you?"

Kara didn't answer him as they made their way into the docking areas. If she made a joke, he would know she was just trying to avoid him. If she told him the truth, he would just get mad at her saying he would be better off without her. If she lied, he would know she was holding something back.

"Captain Adama!" Lee winced as he turned to face a rather young looking boy. "There's an urgent call from Galactica for you."

Lee turned to Kara, and she shrugged. "Go off and be a big important man, Lee. I'll see you in the morning."

"I'll come find you," he said before turning and walking away.

Kara waited until he was out of sight before turning to board the Raptor. She felt at peace with herself for the first time in years.

Lee decided that he had definitely changed in the last month when he found himself rushing down the corridor after Kara. He was already heading down this way in order to see her like he promised the evening before when he caught sight of her on her way from the head back to her new bunkroom, clad only in a towel.. It was only natural that he'd try to hurry to catch her before she dropped that towel and he burst in on something he shouldn't be seeing. Yet that didn't explain why when he got to the hatch, he clicked it shut without saying a word.

Lee smiled and leaned against the closed hatch. He was watching her get dressed, and there was something both completely domestic and comfortable about it. He fought back a chuckle as he realized it didn't surprise him that he had changed so much in just under a month. It was that he didn't mind the change one bit.

Kara drew her uniform out of the locker and scrunched her nose up. There was definitely a large stain on the right shoulder. She had no idea where that had come from.

"Maybe I should have scolded you for your hygiene that first day and not your lateness."

To her credit, Kara didn't jump. Her hands unconsciously tightened the towel around her body as she turned to Lee. "A little voyeuristic, are we?"

Lee's gaze slid slowly up and down her body. "You started it, Kara."

She held her hands out and did a little turn. "Well, look your fill because I'm getting cold so the clothes are coming on." Kara was happy to feel Lee's appreciation reflecting in his eyes. She knew that she was torturing both of them, but sometimes she just couldn't help it.

"I have a surprise for you," Lee said, pushing off the wall and walking over to sit on the bunk next to her locker. "I got Spider to take your CAP rotation."

Kara's eyes went wide. "How the frak did you do that?"

"I offered to take a few of his shifts in the coming weeks."

Kara stayed silent as she slipped on her underwear and a couple tanks. The towel slid to the floor as she searched for the rest of her clothing. Lee sat back in the bunk and just watched her. It was crazy how often he found himself just watching her.

"Why would you do something like that?" Kara asked abruptly.

"It's stupid," Lee admitted. "I heard some of the girls from CIC talking about how you were handing out dresses for them to wear at the reception, and it got me to thinking. You're one of the few people on this ship that had a different kind of life when the Twelve Colonies were still our home. You must have all these things from what was supposed to be your vacation."

"I don't have that much from home."

"I've seen the picture in your locker," Lee pointed out.

Kara's eyes went to the small photo of her team. They were her family back on Caprica. "Yeah, I have that. Nothing else really matters."

"I was thinking of all those dresses you must be lending out, and I started wondering what kind of dress does a woman pyramid player carry around with her. Then I started thinking about the outfit I saw you wearing on the Rising Star. I think it would be a travesty to myself and to the rest of the ship not to see if you could top that night."

Kara laughed and stepped into her pants. "You need to keep your libido in check, Lee."

"Hey! I did it for the good of the Fleet."

Kara leaned into the bunk and brushed her lips quickly across Lee's. "Well, the Fleet thanks you, Captain." He looked absolutely stunned. "Now I think you and I have some security to run while the votes are being read off."

She reached in to grab her dress jacket and smiled. At the time she was handing out all her dresses, she didn't know why she never mentioned the little black dress she had hiding in the back of her locker as an option for people to borrow. Now she understood. It was her favorite, and she had been saving it just in case, by some miracle of the gods, she found a way to get out of the cockpit in order to attend the Vice Presidential reception.

She was going to blow Lee's mind.

"Let's go," she said, tapping him lightly on the knee as she brushed past him.

Lee smiled at her sudden change in mood and applauded himself for bullying Spider into taking the CAP shift. He had been right to think that Kara wanted a little taste of what her life had once been. He might not be a huge follower of pyramid, but he did know the players had to go to a lot of parties and receptions as part of their contracts. He could just see Kara laughing and dancing as the cameras caught her with whatever man had the honor of being her plaything for the night.

Damned if he didn't wish he could be that man tonight.