Thanks to all my reviewers, I'm relieved that you're all fluff lovers, I swear my muse forced me to, originally it wasn't quite so 'funny', but what can you do, so I have decided to let this story write itself (like I could stop it! LOL) But this note is just to say a heartfelt thank you, I've never had so many wonderful reviews, in honour of that this story is the first of mine to be updated, so I hope you enjoy.

PS: please read the AN, at the bottom where I pitifully attempt to justify the decisions made in this chapter.

Anyway enough with the thanking, I'm sure you get the picture, on with the story.

Chapter Two:

Cadet Kara Thrace had tremors running through her body, her heart had never beat so fast, she couldn't stop her foot from tapping on the floor, as fast as her heart was beating it was nowhere near as fast as he remind was running. Lords of Kobol she had never felt that good before, Kara was no maiden, but nothing had ever experienced with anyone had come close, and this was only 20 minutes and that was cut short. Another part of mind was terrified, had she done something wrong? Normally she wouldn't give a frak about being thrown out of anywhere, but that was before. She thought nothing could beat the high of a really good pyramid game, but then an injury in her knee had destroyed that dream, and she had applied to 'Flight School' on a whim, but the second that simulation began she knew without any doubt in her soul that this was where she belonged. In a cockpit, Kara had finally found her home, for the first time in 18 years Kara had felt free, from her mother's vengeful words and from pain. She thought she had done well, she was one of the last two cadets to remain granted, it was only 20 minutes but she believed she could have carried on, if they hadn't stopped, besides everybody else, excluding one had been 'killed' 10 minutes in to the exercise.

But here she was, sitting outside her instructor's office, but for the first time in her life Kara did not know what she had done wrong, and she was petrified that they were going to stop her from flying, if this is how she felt after 20 minutes in a simulator then she couldn't wait for the real thing! Kara was hyped up more than she had ever been before, pyramid games and sex included and the fact that she was afraid for her future, the largest part of her mind wasn't on any of those issues. In fact the most prevalent thing on her mind was the identity of her mystery partner from the Sims. Who the hell was that? It was all she could do during the flight to pay attention to her own flight and controls, instead she was drawn to the viper in the formation to her left, and as the bird's dropped one by one all of sudden the sky was theirs. Silently and without thought they fell into position, well he/she flew moved to her wing and flew as though they had always been there, and it felt euphoric, they were flying through the obstacles together as if they were one and something clicked in place for Kara Thrace, the piece she had been missing. Before Kara could even contemplate the 'rightness' of it all her world fell out, the screens went blank and her basic flight instructor opened the canopy to her sim. As Kara got out she noticed that the room was empty, her heart was pounding, her face flush and her instructor had a look on her face that she couldn't place, was it anger, disappointment, disbelief, resentment, she didn't know what it was but it didn't look positive. Kara tried to look around to see if the other pilot was around to see what they looked like, did they feel it too? Or was she abnormal? They must have been another room, she knew there were three. All she could do was follow her very silent instructor out of the room, and that had been 10 minutes ago. 'Only 10 minutes? Kara thought to herself, it felt longer'. Her instructor had shown her to an office, seated her then left with a quick "I'll be back soon". Belatedly Kara realised that this wasn't any ordinary office, in fact she was pretty sure that had she been paying attention she would have seen the plaque on the door, she at least saw the name plate on the desk in front of her, General Cassidy, Oh Lords what had she done that got her sent to the highest ranking officer on the base! She stiffened as she heard the door open behind her.

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Lee exhaled hard and tightened his grip on the throttle, as if it could stop the screen from shutting down in front of him, anything to prolong the most exhilarating and perfect 20 minutes of his life. Lee had never wanted to join the Colonial service; still it was the dutiful thing to do, so he had joined. He still didn't get along with his father, the few times a year he actually saw him, Lee couldn't forgive him, not for choosing his battleship over his family and breaking his mother's heart, they had been divorced for 5 years now, but the divorce had been the final straw, it had robbed him of his childhood, Lee became 'the man of the house', he had a baby brother to take care of, his mother was amazing and his relationship with her was one of the most precious things in his life, but Lee had felt responsible for his family and made sure he was the perfect son, not for his father the war hero, but because he had a little brother who looked up to him and as the son of Commander William 'Husker' Adama, he had a lot of attention on him, so he had done as expected, but nothing could have prepared him for what he experienced.

He never understood his father, especially when he spoke about his work; he had listened but hadn't heard. The child in him resented the service for taking his father away from him, spent most of his adolescence hating the words of his childhood:

'A Man is not really a man until he wears the wings of a viper pilot'

He may not agree with the statement but for the first time Lee thought he could begin to understand, at least the 'wings' part. After only 20 minutes in a simulator Lee could see why his father loved flying, what a rush. It didn't excuse him, and Lee didn't forgive him but for the first time Lee could remember he thought he could identify with his father. As the canopy was being opened Lee's thoughts turned to the flight, nothing had felt that good, that right, and that perfect before. Lee excelled at all his subjects, but only because of hard work and diligence. But flying had been this easiest thing, the hardest part was stopping. Lee didn't know how or why but once the sim began, everything fell into place, he instinctively knew what the instructors had been attempting to explain during their brief 1 hour basic theory, his mind knew what to do and his body carried out the commands, and Lee was one with his bird. As the course went on, Lee felt the other's leave the program, and the possessive part of him was glad, this was his, Lee's, he wasn't the perfect son, the ideal elder brother, his mother's pride and joy, he didn't care if the entire world was watching, this was his. Lee's, something he hadn't had before, he cherished it. But he wasn't alone; he could feel the viper on his right, surprisingly he didn't mind, he was drawn to it, he followed his instincts and flew to its wing and Lee's universe expanded and contracted all at once, he honestly thought he had blacked out for a moment, he could feel the earth shift and the heavens open, and then snap! Something connected, he felt complete, content and right. But before he knew it, the experience was cut short, and he gripped the throttle hard, he had never felt such a strong burst of aggression before, he wanted to, no he needed to hit something or someone, the person who had dared to end his flight. His body hummed with barely restrained power, raw and pounding in his veins, Lee needed release, Lords he could frak something hard right now, he had never felt so visceral before, Lee was surprised, so surprised that he barely noticed where he being led, or who by. Lee having had military courtesy drilled into him as a child regardless of the state of his parent's marriage, he knew better than to speak before being spoken to.

Suddenly he was standing in front of a door, 'General D. Cassidy' Oh Frak, how had he ended up in front of the general! He didn't think he had done anything wrong, as he was just coming down from the adrenaline, he was seeing how unusual his exit from the sim had been, there had nobody else left in the room, none of his fellow cadets had been present, his instructor's blank expression, the silence, he was being escorted to the General's office, when he expecting a 'well done' and a pat on the back for being one of the last two birds in the air. Actually he had been hoping to find out who was in the other viper, see who had flown with him as if they always had, as if they were one? Instead he was about to meet the most powerful person on the base. As he entered the room behind the instructor he noticed a small blonde girl sitting impatiently in a chair, tapping her foot restlessly, wearing a flushed look on her face. She had opened her mouth to speak when the instructor spoke in brusque tones "The two of you wait here, the general is viewing the footage of your sim exercise, he'll in as soon as he's done, I need to get back to the rest of the nuggets, but you two…that was…look that was good work." And with that she was gone.

Kara looked at the boy as he fell in to the seat next to her, for a moment all she could see was blue, endless pools of sapphires, she shook herself, she had never reacted so strongly to someone before in her life, 'it's because I'm still hot from the sim, I'd jump anyone right know, and the fact that he happened to look like an Adonis, a frakking God, couldn't tempt her more right now. Then it hit her, he was the other pilot! Her mystery partner, her wingman, the one who flew like one with her, Oh lords now she really did want to frak him! 'Apollo give me strength', she prayed as she clenched her thighs, only the knowledge that the General himself was coming soon, stopping her from stripping him with her teeth. So she decided to say something, anything to stop the lust that was coursing through her to erupt.

"You're the one in the other viper?" 'Oh real smart Thrace state the obvious why don't you'.

Lee just nodded and his eyes widened as he realised who that meant she was, his hands automatically tightened on the arms of his chair, so hard they nearly snapped. If he thought he felt visceral when first came out of the sim, he was wrong. Every single cell in his body vibrated at seeing this blonde girl, lust raged through him, and he swore he had never been so hard, so turned on in his life, the urge frak this woman was so strong, all he wanted to do was take her there and then, to mark her and make her his, he was shocked at how primal he felt, desire had never been so overwhelming, that was nothing absolutely nothing to how he felt when he heard her voice, slightly husky, and then what she said hit him, and he realised what it meant, this blonde goddess was the other pilot! His other half, his wingman and suddenly the need to mark this woman and be marked by her flew through him he tightened his grip on the chair to stop them from ripping her flight suit off and frakking her right then and there! On the General's desk, he didn't care who saw them, the male in him relished the thought 'that will let all other's know who she belongs to', Lee had never been a territorial or possessive man, or so he had thought, he'd fight for his family of course, and his beliefs but what shocked him most was that no part of him was shocked at his instincts, he also realised as much as he wanted and needed to devour this woman, he also needed and desired her to do the same to him, they were a partnership, equals, what he had, she also had. A small part of his brain was amazed at what had come from 20 minutes in a flight simulator, but everything felt right, until she licked her bottom lip. 'Oh Lords of Kobol, hear my prayer' his mind whispered the prayer as his body lost the fight.

Kara had never been looked at quite like this before, every inch of her had been devoured, layer by layer, inch by inch, she felt like ambrosia, his eyes though, they covered her, heated her, surprisingly she felt sheltered, safe, even though he looked like he was a hairsbreadth away from possessing her, she wasn't scared, she didn't feel an ounce of fear, not from her wingman. His muscles bunched as his grip clenched on the arm rests; she swore she could hear the wood creak in response. Lords had she never wanted anything as much as him, right now, on that desk, General be damned she wanted him, her blood called for him; she licked her bottom lip in anticipation. It seemed to be the final straw, as one they got up and reached for the other…when General Dean 'Gryphon' Cassidy entered his office.

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Kara was beyond excited, she would never admit it but she actually felt giddy. Today was the day that the simulators were being first used, and she was dying to fly in one again. Truthfully she was dying to fly with Apollo in one, sims were never as good as the real thing but it was the only place either of them could fly freely without restrictions, regulations and more recently responsibilities. Okay at the moment she was 'at war' with Lee, but her 'war' with Lee made her smile (not in public of course) but she had missed interacting with him like they used to. Just Lee and Kara or Starbuck and Apollo, they're exchanges were legendary at college, both in the air and on the ground. She was stuck though, most of her pranks were fine on a base at peace time, but on a decaying battlestar in the middle of a war with the Cylons? It would be dangerous to cream his viper, what if they had to launch an attack? So that left the route that had started this little impromptu war, embarrassment, she had enough ammunition against him; she just had to time it for maximum effect. But that could wait until after she got to fly with and against him in the Sims.

"Starbuck, a word" Apollo asked as soon as she entered.

"Sure what's up Capt?" she asked still giddy.

He dragged to one side, "You know what this is about, and promise me you'll hold back."

"Worried, you still can't beat me?"

"Starbuck this is serious, we have our orders-"

"Admiral Nagala is dead, that world is dead. Apollo you can't tell me you don't want to as much as I do"

"You know I do, but those orders were for a reason, and that reason still stands"

"I know" she said, not managing to keep the hurt from her voice. "I just miss it; it's been nearly 7 years Lee."

"I know, but we promised, we would never compete in the air, space or Sims, it's just too dangerous. You remember what happened to Moss"

"Of course I remember, like I could forget" Moss, Ben Moss had been a cadet, a year behind Lee and Kara; unfortunately he died attempting a manoeuvre that he had seen Apollo and Starbuck complete both in Sims and in the air the week before. It took a long time for herself or Lee to forgive themselves, they were used to being the best at what they did, it never occurred to them that others found difficult, what they could do easily. After that incident, Admiral Nagala himself had ordered them to stop their extravagances in the air or the Sims. Between the two of them they had broken every record set at the academy, and in the service, but both the incident and their test and competition scores had been classified and buried. They were seen as an anomaly, a one off, they didn't mind, they knew how good they were they didn't want or need the attention, Kara hadn't regretted it…but she really missed it, the freedom, nothing was as good as flying with Lee at full strength, not even sex. And she hadn't felt it for nearly 7 years. They had flown together since, and even against the cylons were they rarely pushing it, they did enough to survive and hopefully destroy their vipers. It was only at extreme times when they had to stop holding back, like saving Lee at Ragnar, or taking on eight raiders alone, or when Lee flew into the conveyor to blow the refinery. Kara had meant it when she called Apollo 'a magnificent bastard', it had been a long time since she had seen him fly like that, like he used to, like he was meant to. Flying with Lee at full strength also resulted in the biggest 'high' afterwards, so far they had always managed to find other people to relieve the tension with, they had an understanding to avoid one another after a 'good' flight, neither of them wanted their first time together to be due to an adrenaline high, they both wanted more than that, not that they ever mentioned anything or acknowledged it, like all the most important things in their lives it was 'unspoken'.

"I'm sorry Kara, maybe I can arrange a time for just the two of us, alone with nobody watching" Lee offered.

"And when we finished?" Kara asked, coming dangerously close to saying the unspoken.

"Oh, yeah sorry, didn't think about that." Lee said apologetically.

"Does your Dad know? About us not competing I mean." Kara asked suddenly.

"I guess not, I mean it's not in our official records is it. Not like a reprimand, we were just supposed to avoid the comps."

"So you'll have to tell him."

"What? Why me"

"You're his son"

"He likes you better."

"Lee"

"Kara"

"You know if we tell him he'll probably just get curious, I mean some of those scores we beat were his, he probably doesn't even know." Kara said.

"You can find out, when you tell him."

"Sorry Captain, that's the CAG's job" Kara smirked as she sauntered in to the room.

Kara had been right; Adama was intrigued about their Sims and had given the order for them to fly, much to Kara's delight. The Commander had also forbidden the squadron to copy any un-regulation moves they may see. So an hour after their confrontation Lee and Kara were about to start their first brand new sim, at full strength in 7 years. Adama had also decided to broadcast their sim to the rest of the crew for entertainment, Gods knows they both needed and deserved it. The President had also come aboard, and what was to be an introduction to Lt Gaeta, Dr Baltar and Chief Tyrol's Viper simulation had become the most anticipated event since the Cylon attacks on the colonies. There were wagers flowing all over the ship, as many had witnessed Starbuck's pink hair incident (which was still fading) and were eager to see if she would use the opportunity to embarrass the Captain, who had been the obvious culprit. (The incident had also gained Apollo a cult following, not many could take on Starbuck and live to tell the tale, but most on board the Galactica had lost to Starbuck at Triad over the years, and many people had wished revenge).

Starbuck was hyped, she was slightly nervous, incredibly impatient and she honestly believed that the anticipation would give her a stroke. She absentmindedly notice that Doc Cottle was also present watching the proceedings, on the enlarged screen in the room. There were numerous screens set up around the Galactica for those who could not leave their posts, plus one in CIC and in the Hanger Deck. She wasn't afraid of being beaten by Apollo, she relished the challenge, but it had been so long, then she thought of upping the stakes.

"Hey Apollo, wanna up the stakes?" she called over the comms.

"What could be better that beating you into the ground Starbuck?" The arrogance could be heard in his voice, many around the Galactica groaned 'was he mad? Pissing off Starbuck was never a smart idea' others were wondering at this new side to the CAG.

"Tell you what, 'oh great Apollo'" she mocked "when I beat you, I want something, other than the satisfaction of course."

"What?" Apollo asked warily, she was up to something.

"How about if-sorry, when I win, you have to get 'Property of Starbuck' tattooed in the place of my choosing, up for it? Or are you afraid you'll lose." Starbuck taunted.

There were a variety of reactions to Starbuck's challenge, most were shocked and surprised, the pilots just laughed at her audacity. The president just raised an eyebrow and Tigh was amazed. Adama however just grinned, he had never met Starbuck until after Zak died, but he had heard about her from various sources, mainly Zak and Caroline, Caroline had known Kara since she had been at the Academy with Lee. Bill had heard Caroline talk about Lee and Kara's friendship and her relationship with Zak. He remembered a conversation that took place just after Bill had received the letter from Zak hinting about his engagement to Kara, Bill had asked Caroline point blank "Is Zak doing the right thing?" Caroline's reply had confused him "Kara loves our son, she completes him like no other, she would make the perfect partner" it hadn't been the words, but rather her tone that had caused him alarm, there was an edge of melancholy to it, a touch of resignation, he had assumed it was because her youngest son was getting married. But he understood now.

"Kara loves our son, she completes him like no other, she would make the perfect partner"

Caroline was talking about Lee, not Zak. She had seen what they had missed, or maybe they hadn't missed it, but rather chosen to ignore it. He didn't doubt Kara's love for Zak, he had seen what little had been left of her after his death. But witnessing her with Lee was something different all together, they brought out the best and worst in each other, and for the first time since his divorce he had seen Lee act carefree, Kara gave him that. But even for Kara, this wager was audacious and permanent 'Property Of Starbuck' indeed, like he wasn't already. It was also a not so subtle message to the other women of Galactica, Bill chuckled to himself; Kara could be transparent at times, even if only to him.

Lee stopped breathing, 'she couldn't be serious', he could hear the various catcalls from their audience, but part of him was excited. They hadn't done this for a while, right now he wasn't Capt. Adama, the CAG he was just Apollo, and Apollo was just a competitive as Starbuck.

"Well, that doesn't really mean anything Starbuck, since I'm not gonna lose, but it was an interesting wager" he paused.

"I'll take it" he said, and everybody gasped, nobody thought the uptight CAG would ever agree to it. "But if- sorry, when I win, you do the same 'Property of Lee 'Apollo' Adama' tattooed wherever I want." And just like that the stakes had been raised. Lee was shocked at what had come out of his mouth, he wanted, no he needed her to be marked by him, his darker and more primitive side was aching for it. He knew it would be worse than branding, but he could not bring himself to take it back, he would gladly wear her name, if she wore his too. He belonged to her, and she to him, they knew it, always had and always will.

When Apollo had agreed, Starbuck was the only one not surprised, she knew him better than anyone, his twist on the wager was surprising however, 'Lee Apollo Adama' he wanted her to bear his name literally, not just his call sign, his full name, so there could be no doubt, part of her was thrilled with his possessive nature coming out, part of her was horrified, if she lost there was no going back. But if she won, that would be priceless. So what could she say but "Agreed".

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 GO!

And so began the most anticipated match on the Galactica, never had Lee or Kara been so determined to beat the other, they had competed against each other before, won and lost more times than they could remember, they averaged out neither one taking a clear lead. But this would be the first time that there would be physical and permanent ramifications.

45 minutes later…

"Oh My Gods…"

"Did you see that?"

"What about when she…"

"Did you see him do…"

"He nearly had her at…"

"And then she…"

"I didn't even know it was possible to …"

"Holy Frak, can those two fly!"

"Do you think that 'll do it? Get the tattoo I mean?"

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AN: Hey guys sorry for the cliffy, but it was a rather light-hearted one, no deaths or dismemberments. My first draft was slightly more 'adult', but I thought that too soon, and I couldn't decide whether or not I wanted to keep to canon, and as that draft was set on Colonial Day, I had to make a decision, so I did, I put it off, avoidance, it really works! Now on to the serious stuff, as light hearted as this, it touches on some darker themes, mainly possession and branding, In no way am I advocating branding or the tattooing the 'Property of…', I am aware that this can be done to some women against their will. In this fic it is not meant with any malicious undertones, it simply a wager and a form of 'possession' not ownership. Human beings are not property, and nor should they be considered as. If the use of this offends anyone I sincerely apologise, that was never my intention. I was going for the shock appeal and the humour (I hope that comes across).

I realise that my Apollo is probably more 'primitive', possessive than the show (except KBG part 1), that was a intentional choice, I would hope that I reflected the same changes in Starbuck, my desire is to show them as equals, so one does not overshadow the other in the relationship. I hope this is reflected in my writing.

Now, I don't normally do this but I've never had so many wonderful reviews to a single chapter before, especially not an opening chapter, and I usually reply to a review directly but with 4 fics on the go and RL to contend with I'll reply to the reviews here, this chapter is dedicated to all those who reviewed, put me or my fic on their fave lists and alerts. And to anyone reading, please feel free to leave me any comments and questions you have and if you leave your email address I'll reply directly. Anyway thanks. Inara.

Lea: What can I say, thanks for being my most faithful reviewer/reader, you're kinda like my mentor when it comes to fanfiction, thank you for inspiring me to write and getting me into BSG, I owe you, most importantly thanks for always being available. It meansa lot.

Nytel: Thank You, I absolutely adore your fics, especially your Sheyla.

Starbuck042786: Thank you for your kind words, I hope this chapter was satisfactory.

Ladydragonfrost: Glad I could brighten your day, here's a bit more fluff, well as much as a post holocaust, on the run from artificial intelligent beings, currently at war, TV show fic can be. (lol)

Xfool1: Here's another glimpse of Lee and Kara at the academy, their first actually, hope you liked it. Thanks for your comments.

Midnightair: Not really a sequel, but will the next chapter do? Hope you like, thanks for taking the time to review.

K'lara7: Thank you for your lovely review, I am honoured that this was your first review, I hope you continue to enjoy the fic, and my portrayals of Lee and Kara.

Tracyj23: Thank you for your review, I love your work, it's an honour. Hope this chapter was pleasant.

Bsgfan: 'Great Fluff' why thank you, now that's a compliment and a half, to tell the truth I'm always worried that other people won't see the humour in what I find funny, but pink hair dye is a classic, especially on Starbuck. Hope this instalment was as good.

Niquole: Thanks for the review, yes I have read Terry Brooks, I agree his books are great, I just couldn't write every author on my list, it would never end. If you have time I strongly suggest 'The Green Rider' by Kristen Britain, it has a sequel 'First Rider's Call', a piece of fantasy that tends to go unnoticed. This quick update is for you.

I'm sorry if I've broken any rules, I just could not access the internet for sustained period this week, hence the replies with the chapter. It'll never happen again.

Inara Chapter 3 soon, who won? Who got the tattoo? And where?