Chapter is a little longer and much more M rated for sexual content. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters, I just play in their word for a while.

Hours later Joey is perched on the spare bed he keeps upstairs. Kara is standing at the sink brushing her teeth. It's been a while since she's been to Picon and although Joey is known for his reputation, he's realized that he missed having Kara around.

"I know that look." She said after rinsing her mouth out.

"What?"

"That look that says you'll die without me."

"Yeah, sure. Whatever you say."

"Well just in case, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

"What, can't a friend miss his friend?"

"Not a friend he's frakked on and off."

"You are a raging bitch some times, do you know that?" Joey got up and headed towards the door. He slammed the door behind him.

"I guess we're off again." She shrugged at herself in the mirror.

As she was drifting off to sleep on the dingy mattress above the bar, a pair of ice blue eyes momentarily popped into her thoughts.

She got up early the next morning and made her way out of the small room above the bar. She left some money for the room on the counter and walked out into the brilliant sunny morning and cursed, she'd left her shades in her room back on her cruiser.

Its months before Kara is on Picon again, and still those blue eyes haunt her thoughts. Usually a man doesn't get under her skin until they've frakked on every surface of a place. She sighed to herself as she left the Temptation's docking bay, knowing full well she was going to end up at Joey's bar. She made a few pit stops along the way, trying to convince herself that they were just eyes, and he was just a strange man in the bar, but she knew better. He'd known her without knowing her. It was unnerving and almost comforting. So she sighed heavily and angled her way towards the bad side of town.

The bar was hopping when she got there. It took some elbowing but she managed to get some room at the bar. She took her jacket off and looked around wondering if her crew had ended up here like they had other nights. They were taking 24 hour leave on Picon. She managed to get a drink after a few minutes from Max, the regular bartender. She turned her back to the bar to scope the place out. It was ladies night, which included more than 8 women for once. Kara had never seen that many people in Joey's bar.

Kara was into her third drink when she turned away from the crowd, finding it lacking for company. Dammit I don't want to end up alone tonight, she thought to herself. She shook her head and looked down the bar; not much better scenery than the rest of the room.

About 20 minutes later a hand crept around her waist. She sighed and turned to her assailant. The night was not looking up. Some older guy was leering at her and smiled of too much liquor.

"Did your friends dare you to do that?" She asked nicely, almost purring the words. He nodded and grinned down thinking she liked it. She didn't have the elbow room to punch him so she did the next best thing; she grabbed him by the balls. He dropped his drink onto the bar and ended up on his knees. "Tell your friends I am not a dare." She pushed his shoulder and he fell over and tried to crawl away as unfriendly feet kicked at the man. She quickly returned to her drink noticing the men of the establishment moving away from her. She smiled darkly to herself; now she really was going back to Temptation by herself.

Two drinks later two arms came up on either side of her and someone pressed the length of their body against her back. What the frak, she thought as she put her drink down and spun to face the person. And suddenly she was staring into the ice blue eyes she'd been haunted by for months. She tried to push him away, but he didn't budge.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked, smiling up at him. He smiled wickedly at her comment. She pushed at him again. "Don't make me move you." She threatened.

"I'll move…for a kiss." He was taunting her now. Daring her was like playing with a lion's tail, dangerous and thrilling. He stepped into her personal space even more, knowing with her personality that secretly she liked the other person to take some control.

"Why should I?"

"Because I'm making you uncomfortable and because you still know my name."

"How do you know that? I meet hundreds of people a month. I can barely remember my name, what makes you think I remember yours?" Her confidence was wavering and they both knew it.

"Remember I can read you like an open book. If you didn't remember my name, I'd be on the floor holding myself by now." He saw the recognition in her eyes and then they narrowed at him.

"Did you dare that man to do that?" He chuckled.

"No. But it gave me this idea."

"What idea is that?" He was slowly inching towards her and she was running out of space. Her breathing had changed slightly, ever so slightly and he could see her pulse jumping against the pale skin of her neck.

"To come steal something from you." He leaned into her and placed his lips on hers, not moving them but simply a brush, a taste. He had been haunted by her eyes, her lips, her hair, her smell for the past few months. He was surprised she returned the kiss feverishly and he stupidly moved his arms to wrap around her, as if he knew her. He opened his mouth a bit to explore hers more and that's when the pain came.

He drew back and touched a finger to his bottom lip. His fingers were bright red as he looked down at the blond he still have one around encircled around. He smiled as if she had told him a good joke, and she knew she was in trouble. She could see the passion behind the eyes that matched hers. Some people called it 'crazy' but if she listened to everything everyone said about her, she'd never get out of bed in the morning.

"Are you going to get out of my space now?" She asks as if she's commenting on the weather. She grins up at him as he removes his arm and moves to lean on the bar next to her.

"So why are you here tonight, Kara Thrace?"

"How the hell did you find out my last name?"

"People talk." He ordered a drink. "More importantly, they talk about you."

"Believe every word." She says vehemently. He sticks a finger in his mouth again and shows her the blood.

"I won't doubt it ever again." He smiles at her and she looks at him as if he might be just a little more insane than she is. "How's business?" He asks sipping his drink, and he winces a bit at the alcohol passes by the new wound.

"I just bit you and you want to talk about how my business is?" She looks smugly at him with one eyebrow up.

"Yes." He gives her a one word answer as he looks directly at her. The silence between them is somewhat drowned out by the rest of the bar, but its awkward nonetheless. After half an hour, Leoben orders two shots. "Maybe this will get you talking."

"Maybe this will burn that cut I just gave you." She accepts the shot of tequila and lime from the bartender.

"Here's to gods and goddesses." He salutes his glass and she clinks hers against his. The burn of cheap tequila makes them both sputter and laugh at each other as they both suck on the lime, which makes Kara's face pucker and Leoben laughs even harder.

Hours later, the bar has died down a bit for the night and Kara and Leoben are still sitting at a bar. She had finally given up on not talking to him, since that was her purpose of coming to the bar tonight. She told him of flying and some about Zak and about being court marshaled but not why. She told him about being a pirate and how she didn't feel equipped to lead her crew but how protective she felt of all of them.

He told her about growing up adopted in a large family. He told her about the winter pageant and the time he had played Apollo for the sun festival as the seasons began to change on Geminon. He told her about being a shrink and some of the horrible things he had to listen to, which drove him to seek counseling.

"So…" He said as there was a break in the conversations. "Are you staying here tonight?"

"Subtle." She giggles, oh gods she's drunk if she's giggling.

"I'd like to show you something but I doubt Joey will give you keys to the place to get back in."

"And by show me something, you mean what? Your pet hamster, your gun, your penis? That's a bit ambiguous." He laughed, harder than was necessary, realizing that in the process of getting Kara drunk, he had managed to get himself very drunk.

"It's a place on Picon where you can see the stars."

"I see the stars all the time."

"Well then, how about my pet hamster?"

"Shit, do you have a pet hamster?" She can't tell if he's joking now or not. She's almost leaning against him as the liquor starts to play games with gravity. He looks at her arm tucked under and around his. His blurry vision focused on the tattoo on her upper arm and distracted him.

"Naw, I don't have any pets." He smoothes a finger down her tattoo and smiles as she shivers. "What's this one mean?"

"Oh, um…" She looks sheepish. "It's the ancient symbol for male and female. It means that there is a balance out there we're all trying to complete. I know its pretty cheesy. Don't ever get drunk and get a tattoo."

"I'll keep that in mind." He says earnestly.

He slides off the barstool and opens his hand towards her. "Shall we?"

"Sure." She says smiling more to herself than him. "I don' think Joey would let me stay here tonight anyways. I pissed him off last time I was here." They walk the streets to his apartment silently.

As he opened the security door, her hands are on him demanding a response. She pushes him up against the wall. She bruises her lips against his as she tries to crawl inside him. His hands come up to her face and keep her there as she tries to move further into the building.

They blindly find the fourth floor and crash into his apartment, Kara toeing the door closed behind her. He pushes her against the hall wall and moves a hand up to her neck. His fingers possessively move from under her chin, down her neck and dance across her collarbone.

Her hands move under the back of his shirt, feeling the tight muscles move as he moves against her. Her nails bite into his back drawing lines down his skin. She moves her hands out from the warmth of his back and eases the jacket off of him. He mimics her and removes her jacket. He pulls his lips away from hers and burns a pathway from her cheek down to the swell of her breasts. She gasps as his tongue flicks down her top.

She runs her fingers threw his hair and pulls his head back so she can look into his eyes. He smiles crazily at her and she releases his hair. He buries his head in the warmth of her neck. Her hair is just long enough to tickle his forehead. He breaths her in before biting down on her shoulder. She gasps. Seems she set the mood of the night when she'd bit him in the bar.

He moves his body into close contact with hers and she can feel his erection threw both of their clothes. She gasps at that touch as it has been a while, since she'd felt a man between her thighs. She smiles at the thought and allows her hands to run all over his muscled body. She leans forward and bites his shoulder threw his shirt. He growls slightly as she doesn't let go but doesn't do much more than put pressure on the point.

He reaches between them and places a hand between her thighs and kisses his way back to her mouth. His breathing has become labored as his hand moves across her. She is writhing, even with clothes still on. Her hands reach down and pull his shirt up and he assists her, annoyed at the material and having to stop kissing her briefly. His hands tangle in her hair as he possesses her mouth again.

She's drowning in the scent and feel of him. Her hands wander the plane of his chest as his tongue penetrates her warm mouth and explores her thoroughly. His hands move down the front of her body and grasp the hem of her shirt. He breaks away long enough to pull it up and over her head. He pauses for a moment to look into her eyes. She grins up at him and he is on her again. Hands roaming, mouth demanding. His hands move around to her back as he pulls her away from the wall. They move through the hallway, only to stop short of any of the other rooms.

She presses him up against the wall and captures his mouth again. It's not enough; the angle isn't as good for either of them. He pushes her back until her back is against the wall again. His hands move down her back and rest on her ass. She lifts one of her legs and wraps it around him. His body moves to occupy the new space she's made, while sucking on her neck. He smiles as he hears her ragged breathing hitch as his erection comes in contact with her. He rubs himself against her.

She reaches between them and undoes his pants, while he fumbles with hers. He puts her leg down and kneels down to pull her pants off. He kisses her stomach and moves his fingers to dance around the edge of her underwear. Her hands beat him to pulling them down and he pulls them off of her quickly and greedily. He smoothes his hands up her thighs but instead of moving between them, moves them out and around to cup her ass. She moves her legs a little apart as his fingers curve around the back of her thigh and reach her moist core. He presses his face to her stomach as his fingers stroke a fire between her legs.

He moves so his face is even with her core. At first he just breathes on her, knowing that the closeness of his mouth and the sure stroking of his fingers is driving her to sigh repeatedly. She moves her legs even further apart and his mouth is on her. The angle is awkward but his tongue moves between her folds, finding the bundle of nerves each time and stroking it.

Her hands move to tangle in his hair and when he looks up the length of her body her head is rolled back and her mouth is open.

"Don't stop." She moans noticing he has become distracted. He stands up in one fluid motion and picks her up, drags her to his couch. He balances her on the arm of the couch and kneels down to attack her again. The angle is better this time. His mouth makes sure strokes across her nerves and she moans. His hands move down her legs, away from where she wants them, driving her mad. Finally, his hands begin to move back up her legs. She arches back against the pillows on the couch enjoying all of the sensations.

His deft fingers trace the lips of her slick opening. Just as he moves two fingers inside of her, he sucks on the bundle of nerves making her back arch and she lets out an even louder moan. He smiles wickedly to himself, knowing his neighbors are probably getting a very good show and not caring in the least. His fingers move quickly in and out of her welcoming body. He can feel her walls begin to shiver as he increases the speed of his hand and his tongue. After a few more quick thrusts he can feel, and hear, her orgasm take hold of her. He moves his hand away and moves his mouth down to kiss her opening. His tongue slides inside of her as she comes and he tastes her knowing he'll never get enough.

When she stops whimpering, Leoben slides up her body as his hands move to finish removing his pants. She sits up with her eyes a little unfocused and helps him remove his pants and underwear. Her hands move to encircle him as the last of the clothes are removed. She wants to return the favor but he has other ideas. She has no idea where he's produced a condom from but she gets the picture that he needs to be buried in her warmth now. He bends down to kiss her as he moves her along the arm of the couch. He thrusts into her in one sure motion and her gasp is eaten up by his demanding mouth. She can taste the tang of herself on his lips. He moves his hips a few times, holding her hips down on the couch arm. The arm is too narrow, for him to get the thrust they're both wanting.

He gathers her up in his arms, she clings to him with her legs and he moves her back against the wall. The position is awkward at first until they catch a rhythm with one another. Her hips move to take every thrust as far as she can. He can feel her walls shivering and dancing from his previous administrations and knows she'll tighten around him soon, sucking his ability to take his time with her. His mouth falls away from hers as his breathing becomes labored. Her hands move up his back and tangle in his hair briefly before cutting their way back down his back. She's moaning loudly as he continues to thrust into her warmth. Her orgasm hits both of them unexpectedly. He quickens his pace as she clamps down around him. He growls as he comes, pumping himself inside of her.

His arm slides completely around her waist as his legs nearly collapse beneath them. Her arms slide around his neck as she presses herself against him, not wanting the contact to stop yet. He shivers as her insides are still quivering a little and pulls back enough to look into her eyes.

"You're going to be the death of me." He comments as they extract themselves from one another.

"Bathroom?" She asks. He points down the hallway. In a few moments he hears the water for the shower going. Not bothering to get dressed he finds something to eat and joins her in the bathroom. She's leaning against the sink looking at herself with a confused expression on her face. He doesn't push since he's already told him about her dead lover; he just moves behind her and wraps an arm around her shoulders. She looks at him in the mirror. She moves out of his grasp and steps into the shower. He brushes his teeth before joining her in the shower, giving her time to settle down a bit.

He stands almost in the spray and once again wraps his arms around her. She sighs and leans back against him, the shampoo in her hair running down the front of his body. He moves his fingers through her hair and messages her scalp. She almost falls over when he removes his hands and he laughs. He moves into the spray of the shower and pulls her tightly against him. After a few minutes Kara turns to face Leoben. She leans up and kisses him slowly at first but her hand on the back of his neck demands more of his mouth. He opens to her, feeling the kiss growing into something more passionate than that initial joining of lips.

After a few maddening moments they break away. Kara steps out of the shower and he follows her. She dries off and heads towards the bedroom. He takes his time shutting everything down in his apartment and isn't surprised to find Kara snoring softly on top of the covers when he goes to bed. He moves her, then passes out himself.