Lee sighed with exhaustion as he used a wrench to tighten the fuel line of the viper he was repairing. He'd spent the past six hours in the hangar deck fixing ship after ship, and he was only now reaching the end of the long line of birds.
Early in the evening the Chief had noticed that one viper's fuel line had been connected wrong, and upon inspection they'd found that nearly 80 percent of their birds, raptors included, had the same problem. The deck crew was so overworked they had made the same simple mistake over and over again, one that could have led to disaster. A single false move in the air could have ruptured any of the faulty fuel lines, leaving the ship in question immobile, or sending it up in flames. It was a relief that the Chief had caught the problem when he did.
Normally the CAG didn't interfere with the well-oiled workings of the deck crew, but when serious issues like this one arose it was protocol that Lee be informed. The recent increase in cylon attacks had all the deckhands working double shifts already, so to help ease the burden Lee had joined in. He hadn't wanted to, in fact it was the last thing he wanted, but it was his job to keep his pilots safe.
Lee rolled himself out from under the viper and stood up on his cramping legs. One last viper to be fixed and then he could get out of there. Using energy he didn't know he possessed, Lee hurried over to the final ship. He needed to finish as fast as he could so he could find Kara and warn her about Zak moving into the bunkroom—he just hoped it wasn't too late.
"Sir."
Lee heard a voice calling from behind him. He paused mid-step and turned to find the Chief catching up with him. "Yes, Chief?" He asked, trying to keep the weariness free of his voice, though he doubted that he succeeded.
"I can finish up here."
"Are you sure?"
Tyrol nodded. "We've only got one left, shouldn't take long at all. Thanks for the help, Sir."
Lee nodded and gave the Chief a weak smile before he took off for the corridor leading to the gym. He hoped to hell that Kara was still there. He knew that lately she'd taken to working herself into exhaustion every night. He hated knowing it was the only thing allowing her to get any rest, but for the first time he hoped she hadn't changed her routine and was doing exactly that. He needed a chance to warn her.
When he opened the hatch to find the workout room deserted save two marines, he cursed under his breath. A sense of disappointment gripped him—he'd let her down. She wasn't here and that meant she'd turned in for the night. She'd probably run into Zak, completely unprepared, and Lee hated that she'd had to go through that.
Lee walked to the bunkroom without much thought. He may have failed in warning her, but he could still explain to her how he'd been tied up in the hangar deck and hope that she'd forgive him.
Lee slipped through the hatch as quietly as possible, so as not to wake anyone. The first thing he noticed was that his bunk, which was temporarily serving as Kara's since she'd injured her knee again, was empty. He shuddered with worry. Knowing he wouldn't be able to sleep until he knew where she was, Lee turned around and headed back out of the bunkroom.
Exhaustion momentarily forgotten, Lee searched every place he could think of, including the arms locker on C-deck, if only for his own peace of mind. Sleep would still be elusive, so Lee figured he might as well make himself useful, and headed for his office.
He punched in the pass code on the keypad and after hearing the soft click that meant the mag lock had been released, he pushed open the hatch and stepped inside. He closed the hatch behind him, while using one hand to search around on the wall for the light switch. The fluorescent tubes burst to life and bright beams of light showered his office.
"Turn off the frakking lights."
Lee jumped as he heard Kara's voice filter through the room, but at the same time a sense of relief filled his body and the tension ebbed away. "Kara?" He questioned hesitantly as his eyes quickly scanned the room.
He saw her curled up in a ball on the small and uncomfortable piece of furniture that was supposed to be a couch. She had her head buried in against her arm, shielding her eyes from the harsh light.
"Yes," she growled in return. "Now turn off the frakking lights."
Lee obeyed, and the room went back to being scarcely illuminated by the single bulb used for emergency exit lighting directly above the hatch. Guilt gathered in his throat. He swallowed it back as he realized that Kara obviously knew about Zak—it was the only reason she'd be sleeping on the couch in his office.
"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?" She questioned acidly.
Lee flinched at her tone. "I'm so sorry Kara. I was going to warn you, but I got called down to the hangar deck and I was stuck there for the better part of six hours. I only just finished. Kara, I'm sorry."
For a second Kara forgot about the shock of finding out that Zak was now living in their bunkroom—she was distracted by the complete and utter exhaustion in Lee's voice. Muscles protested, but she pushed herself upright on the small couch and turned around to look at him. Even in the dim light she could see the bags under his eyes and the shadow of stubble on his chin. He looked like she felt, and that was saying something.
He hadn't not told her on purpose. She'd suspected that, and now he was just confirming it. She could blame him, but it wasn't his fault. Plus, throughout the whole ordeal Lee had been nothing short of perfect, and Kara knew she was making an already difficult time harder for him.
"It's okay," she said quietly. "Narcho told me before I got to the bunkroom."
She saw Lee's shoulders sag with relief. "I guess he's good for something." He gave her a tired smile and she returned it, noticing how the upward tug on the corners of her mouth felt foreign.
Lee moved so that he was leaning against the side of the desk. He was close enough that she could reach out and touch his leg if she wanted to. "How are you doing?" He asked, not bothering to hide the concern and caring in his voice.
Kara immediately looked away from him. "Fine," she lied, followed by, "Frak," when her back muscles tensed, causing her to lean forward in pain.
The next thing she knew Lee was sitting on the couch behind her. "Are you okay?"
She nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying out. "Just stiff." The combination of her grueling workout and Lee's crappy excuse for a couch had all of her muscles objecting.
"Liar," he replied, but his tone was far from harsh. "Move forward."
"What?" She looked over her shoulder at him.
"Move forward," he repeated, gesturing with his hands.
Grumbling, Kara shifted forward on the couch. She was tired and part of her wished that Lee would just leave her the frak alone. Another part of her wanted to comply, and that part won over.
She nearly jumped when she felt the gentle warmth of Lee's hands on her back. Before she could ask him what the hell he thought he was doing, his fingers began to dig into tight muscles. The pressure was just on the verge of being too much, but it felt so damn good.
Kara's head lolled forward and Lee took it as a sign to continue. His hands massaged tense muscles until they relaxed, and then he moved onto other ones. Kara forgot about anything and everything except the amazing feeling. At times she had to bite her tongue to keep from moaning, but even that couldn't ruin it.
Lee wasn't sure what had possessed him to give Kara a massage. She was obviously stiff, and extremely sore, something that sleeping on the couch wouldn't help, but he also knew it was a dangerous path to be walking down. He'd spent a lot of time with Kara since his realization that he was, in fact, in love with her. He often struggled to keep his thoughts purely platonic. It was increasingly difficult since he knew there was only one reason for him not to tell her how he felt: his own cowardice.
Originally he had thought that Kara had Zak back, and vowing not to ever let her find out about his feelings seemed reasonable. Now that the obstacle no longer existed, there was nothing holding him back except his fear. He was afraid he'd ruin their friendship, which was the most important thing in his life. He knew that he needed Kara in his life, and he didn't think he could afford to broker all or nothing. He had also seen his brother and Maggie together, seen how absolutely happy they were. He'd be lying if he said he didn't want that, because he did want it, more than anything. Zak made it look so frakking easy, and it was almost enough to make him tell Kara how he felt.
Lee shook his head, and forced the thoughts to the back of his mind. He focused his attention on massaging the tension out of Kara's back. It was easy to lose himself in the feeling. Sometime later he noticed that Kara's head was hanging against her chest loosely, and the only thing holding her up was the his hands. He couldn't help but smile as he realized that she had fallen asleep.
He moved his hands up to her shoulders and while supporting her head, gently lowered her down so she was lying on the couch, extricating himself from behind her in the process. Standing up and shaking a cramp out of his own leg he noticed that she looked almost peaceful.
Quietly, so as not to wake her, he walked around to the back of his desk and pulled open the bottom drawer. He winced when it squeaked, but a quick glance told him that Kara was still out. After many all-nighters he'd finally stashed a spare pillow and blanket in there, and now he was glad for the decision.
Not bothering to shut the drawer, for fear of it making more noise, Lee grabbed the items and made his way back over to Kara. He gently perched on the edge of the couch as he pulled the blanket over her and placed her head on the pillow. Her head moved slightly, just barely turning toward him.
For a few minutes he sat there and watched her. It was calming, and he found himself wanting to stay, except he knew he couldn't, and most definitely shouldn't. Without realizing what he was doing, Lee found himself leaning down to place a gentle kiss on her cheek. Kara's eyes fluttered open just as he was pulling back, and his heart began to race. He let out a sigh of relief as her eyes closed again and her breathing stayed deep and even.
Lee stood up and headed for the hatch, glancing back over his shoulder once more before heading out.
When Kara woke up she felt oddly peaceful. A quick glance at her surroundings told her why it was so quiet; she wasn't in the bunkroom, she was in Lee's office. As she braced her hands on the worn material of the couch and pushed herself into a sitting position, she realized there was a blanket covering her, one that hadn't been there before. Looking behind she saw a pillow too.
Kara felt her cheeks warm—Lee really cared about her, more than anyone else ever had. Thinking back to the night before she remembered how tired he'd looked, but in spite of that he hadn't thought of anything but her.
Her hand unconsciously rose to her cheek. She could have sworn she remembered opening her eyes to find him kissing her cheek—she could almost feel the softness of his lips… Kara sighed and dropped her head into her hands. She must be imagining things; Lee wouldn't have… would he?
Sometimes when he looked at her she was almost certain she saw something in his eyes, but before she could identify it, it was gone, replaced by a friendly glance. But even if there were feelings there on his part, she couldn't afford to put her feelings on the line, could she?
The calm had worn off and Kara wanted to scream in frustration. Everything tumbled around in her head, and for the first time since finding out the truth about Zak she wanted nothing more than to pull herself together. She couldn't stand to live like this anymore, but more importantly she needed to do it for Lee. She knew him, and she could tell he was spreading himself too thin. The last thing he needed was her as a burden.
Lee had the flight schedules strewn around him on a table in the mess. Tigh had found him first thing that morning and practically thrown them back at him, claiming there were errors everywhere. Lee had bit his tongue, accepted them, and stated that he'd have them back to the XO by the midday shift change. It was almost 1100 and Lee still wasn't finished. It seemed like for every mistake he corrected, he made two more. What he needed was about two full days of sleep, but since that was impossible he'd have to do the best he could.
He was so immersed in making corrections that he didn't notice Kara until he heard the telltale scrape of her chair on the deck as she sat down. Paperwork instantly forgotten he looked up to find her stealing his coffee. He raised one eyebrow in question and she merely shrugged her shoulders, a ghost of a grin creeping onto her face. Lee felt lighter just for seeing her smile.
She angled her chair so it was facing him, and then she kicked her boots off before slipping her feet onto his lap. Lee wasn't sure how to react, but before he could make a decision he found one hand coming down to rest on her leg. When his fingers started making arbitrary patterns on the arches of her feet, he knew he was in trouble. The last time something like that had happened, he'd been very drunk, but now he no longer had that excuse.
Kara didn't seem to mind though. She simply slouched down and sipped at his coffee while looking at him. "What are you working on?"
He broke free of his thoughts, and turned his head to look at the papers, having momentarily forgotten them. "Flight schedules." When he turned back to look at her, she was holding out one hand.
"Let me see."
Lee sighed with relief. Kara was the one person who could make a flawless flight schedule in her sleep, and he'd missed her help more than he could ever say.
After taking the papers from him, Kara immediately noticed a mistake and reached for a pen. She scribbled out something, and started drawing arrows on the paper. After a few minutes she stopped writing and slid the papers back to him. "There."
He looked at her in awe. "You're a godsend, Kara."
She smiled at him, almost shyly, and Lee felt better than he had in days.
Zak had been heading for breakfast when he heard his brother's voice filter out from the mess. He paused by the entrance to the hatch when he saw Lee sitting at a table with Kara. Zak had only briefly seen her upon waking up, but he remembered who she was. Plus, even if he hadn't seen her before, he'd know—there was only one person Lee would be interacting with like that.
For a few seconds Zak really couldn't believe what he was seeing. He'd never seen Lee like this with a woman, ever. Kara had her feet resting on Lee's lap, and even from Zak's position he could see that Lee was rubbing her feet. Lee said something that made Kara smile. Lee grinned in return and Zak could see all the worry and tension drain from his brother's face. He looked completely at ease, and happier than Zak had ever seen him before.
Suddenly, Zak knew that he had to do something. If he didn't interfere Lee would probably never tell Kara how he felt. Zak didn't need to know Kara in order to tell that Lee's feelings weren't unrequited. Zak knew exactly how precious their kind of connection was. They had the chance to be truly happy together, and Zak wasn't going to let his brother pass up something so special. He didn't quite know how yet, but he was going to find a way to bring them together.
TBC