She went over to the front of the cell and called for Horace to get another cot. Lee settled back on the first cot, gave up the battle to keep his eyes off her ass and the curve of her waist, and thought forlornly, "what if I don't want my virtue to be safe?"

-----------------------------

He had what he wanted most though, and for the next month, he and Kara tried to make up for lost time by playing as much pyramid as was humanly possible. Lee thought that he might be addicted-- an adrenaline junkie who needed his fix to come Kara-style-- and he had to consciously pull himself back to his books when finals rolled around.

He pulled Kara back with him, of course, and cajoled, bribed, and entertained until she had at least a basic grasp of modern colonial history. She had pockets of knowledge, tucked away somewhere, things that actually mattered to her, and whenever they hit upon one, he was surprised at their depth, if a little despairing of their breadth. They'd been going through the names of the gods, modern religion was part of what they were being tested on, and Kara had declared that she knew this part.

"Is this the same way that you knew about Kristoph Ledger? Because if your grasp on religion came from watching cartoons, Kara, I don't think…"

She'd cut him off with, "Aphrodite, Apollo, Artemis, Athena, Bacchus…" down the list until she'd named the entire pantheon. Not many people could do that, and those that could usually recited them by rote, in a rushed monotone that said that their parents had forced it on them in grade school. Kara said the name of each one as if she knew them, as if invoking the names brought forth memories. Lee had almost felt jealous.

When she'd finished, she'd given him a look that warned him not to say anything, so he hadn't. He'd filed that piece of information away though, and promised himself that he'd pay special attention to that part of her. She didn't seem religious at all, but he'd learned not to assume with Kara.

When they got their final exams back, Lee was at the top of their year, and his history professor had personally congratulated him. His little speech included something about Lee showing excellent promise as a teacher, being able to get through to "even the thickest, most brutish of classmates." Kara had been standing by his side, they'd had to beat a hasty retreat after she'd said "I'll show you a brute" and actually bared her teeth at the professor. The poor little man had squeaked like a dog toy and retreated behind his desk. They hadn't quite made it to the door before Kara started laughing. Lee managed to get about 20 feet down the hallway before he joined her. Mostly because he was still in a little bit of shock. Worth it or no, normal people didn't actually snarl like that.

"I'm sorry. I have failed you as your tutor," he told her. "I left out the most important lesson, because I thought it was self-evident: you do not, under any circumstances, threaten your history teacher."

"He squeaked!"

"You're missing the point."

"I didn't even know men could make a sound like that. He's clearly wasting his calling as a human piccolo."

"Kara, you can't just go around scaring people like that. You're going to give someone a heart attack!"

"Do you squeak like that?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, Kara, I'm really really sure."

"Are you now," she said, eyes glinting, and then she lunged.

He should have realized she was going to try something, but he'd thought she was incapacitated by laughter. He should have known better. Whatever doubts people may have had about Cadet Thrace, no one could deny that her reflexes were almost uncanny.

He had just been praised by a leading scholar in his field. He was supposed to be celebrating his scholastic achievements with grace and aplomb. And Kara was definitely ruining his image by tickling him until he was on the floor squealing like a girl. Clearly, in order to reestablish his dignity, not to mention his masculinity, the laws of nature dictated that he should use his weight advantage to try and turn the tables on her.

Problem was, though she was lighter than he was, she was fast, and he hadn't taken into account that she could tickle him just as well from underneath him as she could from on top. He needed to pin her hands, but that was easier said than done.

He had almost managed though, by the time his professor walked past. And then Kara had taken one look at the expression on his face and burst into uncontrollable laughter. Lee figured that meant he'd won.

He was top in his class. He had survived the first year of the academy. He was sure his professor would forgive him someday for liking Kara, and more importantly, he had a beautiful woman underneath him, smiling up at him with one of those looks that said her entire focus had narrowed down to just him.

He really wanted to kiss her, but he didn't want to ruin today by doing something stupid. In the end, he compromised, pulled her up and then into his arms. When he planted a soft kiss on her forehead, she looked at him quizzically, but she didn't seem to mind.

There was one week until assignments were going to be given out, and in an uncharacteristic display of optimism, Lee decided that it was going to be the best week ever. No classes, no obligations, just Kara.