THIS IS AN A.U. STORY WHERE KARA AND LEE MEET THROUGH HIS MOM CAROLINE.

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WHAT IF ?

CHAPTER-7

Caroline went back inside after talking with Kara, knowing Lee would want to talk to Kara himself.

Kara was looking up at the stars when Lee joined her out back. " What are you thinking about Kara?"

She looked up at Lee and patted the stoop next to her, waiting until he sat down " I was thinking about how different the stars seem when you see them from mountain tops compared to here near the city "

Lee looked up " I bet you could see them for miles in all directions "

Kara nodded " Yeah, I hope I get the chance to fly closer to them in my viper one night, I bet that would be amazing "

Lee was watching Kara as she spoke " Almost as amazing as you in my opinion "

Kara dropped her gaze to him " I hate to disappoint you Lee, but I am not amazing by any stretch of the imagination "

Lee shrugged " To me you are Kara "

Kara decided to change this conservation " Tell me about my surprise Lee "

While keeping his eyes on her he shook his head " Not tonight, besides I need to show it to you not tell you about it, I will show you tomorrow "

They sat in silence for a while with Kara laying her head on his shoulder as he leaned back supporting himself with his hands.

Lee kissed the top of her head " Tell me about your training, did you like it?"

Kara talked about her time away and Lee listened trying to imagine what it was like and what drove Kara to learn the things she did and why. From what little his mom had said and what he had learned about Kara firsthand he would guess it was all about control.

While Lee had been thinking Kara had fell asleep leaning against him. Lee let her sleep for a little while longer enjoying the fact she trusted him enough to fall asleep like that, something he didn't think she did often.

Finally he started whispering " Kara we need to go in so you can sleep in a bed " she mumbled but didn't wake. Lee sat up causing her to have to sit up also, he leaned down and kissed her cheek " Come on Kara we need to go in " he waited then he heard her.

Kara opened one eye " If you can pick me up and carry me I'll get into bed, otherwise I can sleep just fine right here "

Lee stood up fast and scooped her up before she could say she was joking, she didn't really think he would carry her. " Lee put me down before we both fall on our asses "

Lee's only response was to quickly peck her lips " No, I am putting you into bed, you can't issue a challenge and not expect me to carry through on it "

Fine Kara thought as she laid her head back down, she would wait and see how far he carried her before he would give up and put her down.

Kara was shocked he had carried her all the way upstairs from outside and dumped her onto the bed, then he leaned down and kissed her softly then stood back up " Go back to sleep Kara, we have a big day tomorrow, good-night "

Kara sat up " Where are you going?"

Lee chuckled " I sleep downstairs when you use my room, remember?"

Kara stammered " But that was before, now I'm back "

Lee laughed " I know you are, but I'm not sure mom would approve even if you are her favorite "

Kara flopped back down " If I didn't love your mom so much, I would chain you to this bed "

Lee winked at her from the door " I want you to remember you said that tomorrow, good-night Kara "

Kara threw a pillow at him " Get out while you can Lee " she could hear him laughing as he went down the stairs, that made her smile.

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Kara got up, showered and dressed into a pair of jeans and a red tee shirt with a pair of matching red sandals and pulled her hair back into a pony tail before heading downstairs. Kara had decided to wear civilian clothes until she started OCS in the fall unless a military occasion came up.

She followed the smell of coffee straight into the kitchen where she found Caroline humming while she cooked. She didn't want to startle her so she pulled a bar stool out and sat down knowing Caroline would have heard the stool being moved.

Caroline turned around smiling at finding Kara sitting there " Did you sleep good Kara?"

Kara got up to get coffee " I slept great, it felt wonderful to sleep in a bed after sleeping on cots for the last month "

Kara walked over to stand next to Caroline " Can I help?"

Caroline smirked " I am just making pancakes this morning you and Lee have plans and I don't want to keep you from them "

Kara lowered her voice " Do you know what surprise he has for me?"

She chuckled " Yes Kara I do, but I am not going to tell you anything " Caroline's smile fell " I will tell you it is very important to Lee and if you don't like it please let him down gently, can you do that for me Kara?"

Kara took a step back " Caroline I don't want to hurt you or Lee, so maybe it would be best if he didn't tell me about it, you can tell him I had something important come up " Kara was slowly backing out of the kitchen.

Caroline moved around the counter to stop her " It is not a bad thing Kara, actually it is a wonderful thing, but you might not love Lee as much as he loves you, but please don't leave Kara we love you " Caroline could tell Kara was getting ready to run.

Kara backed into someone and froze thinking it was Lee, she started to panic " I need to go, I'll come back " she turned and it was Zak.

Zak grabbed her arm to stop her, something was going on, but he didn't know what it was " Mom what happened?"

It was Kara who answered " I think it will be better if I don't know about Lee's surprise I don't want to hurt this family ever again, please let me go Zak "

Zak pulled her out of the doorway hoping to fix this before Lee showed up and he didn't stop until he had her outside " Kara you are not running away from my brother again, I know you love him as much as he loves you and you two belong together, so I am going to tell you, it will be better to spoil the surprise then for you to leave without even knowing why "

Kara didn't know why she was so scared, but she felt like the walls were closing in on her " Fine, tell me, right now Zak "

Zak sighed " Kara, Lee rented the house he told you about and spent the last month fixing it up hoping you would agree to live there with him while you both went to school " Zak paused " He knew with both of your schedules you would only be able to see each other at night, that's all it is and you have to live somewhere so why not with the man you love, huh Kara?"

Kara felt herself calming down and Zak was actually making sense. He was right, it was just a house they would share and they did love each other and then there was certain advantages like sex. Gods she really was acting stupid, she almost missed out on a good thing and there was the sex, right she already thought about that. She started to smile then, she didn't know if she should hug Zak for stopping her or slap him for spoiling the surprise.

Caroline had been at the back door listening when she whispered loudly " Lee is coming upstairs now, hurry up "

Kara faced Zak " We'll talk later, go inside tell Lee I went for a walk and I'll come in and act normal, okay go" she shoved him.

Lee walked in to find his mom fussing about burnt pancakes and Zak was downing a glass of water like he had just ran a mile and Kara wasn't in the kitchen yet. " Has Kara came down yet?" he asked as he grabbed a cup of coffee.

Zak answered as calmly as he could " She said to tell you she went for a walk and she will be back soon "

Lee noticed his mom was awful quiet " Are you okay mom?'

Caroline didn't turn around " I'm fine Lee, I just have to make a new batch of pancakes I burnt the other ones "

Lee felt like things were off and was getting ready to ask more questions when Kara came bouncing through the back door, wait a minute Lee thought Kara doesn't bounce, but that thought went no further when she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around him and began nipping his ear lobe. " I missed you last night Lee and now you have to make it up to me "

Lee 's eyes went wide as he turned to look at her " When now, where, how? " Lee thought he spoke in a whisper instead everyone in the kitchen heard him.

Zak had been sitting beside Lee so he heard everything Kara said, he had to give her props she covered really well. In a couple of minutes she had Lee twisted in knots and confused about everything and had him laughing so hard he actually had tears rolling down his face.

It only got funnier when their mom turned around " When, what, and how, what are you talking about Lee?"

Kara blushed " I was asking him when I could find out what my surprise is "

Lee let his head fall onto the counter, this was one of the screwiest mornings he had ever had.

Zak actually felt sorry for Lee, but it was better than what almost happened.

Caroline was dishing out pancakes to the three of them, but when she put Kara's on her plate she jumped up and ran out of the kitchen. Caroline wasn't used to chaos and never cursed until now " What in the frak is wrong now ?" Lee was half-way standing to go after Kara, but froze when his mom cursed and Zak starting laughing so hard he almost threw up his bite of pancakes, that thought sobered him up quickly.

Zak grabbed Lee " Go see about Kara, I'll stay with mom "

Zak got his mom to sit down " It's okay mom, Kara is going to act surprised and she will be staying with Lee in their house " Zak still wasn't sure she was okay " Kara's stomach is probably acting up because everything happened so fast "

Caroline got up " I'm fine now Zak and thanks for stopping Kara even if you had to tell her, I am going out back to sit down, tell Lee if Kara needs anything to let me know "

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Kara had made it to the hall bathroom before throwing up. Although she didn't have much in her stomach she continued to throw up or at least retch. She hope she hadn't offended Caroline, she didn't think she had because she loved Caroline's pancakes. Lee finally showed up and after wetting a rag he gave it to her and sat behind her until she felt better.

When he felt she could answer he asked her " What happened Kara, do you have a virus or maybe something you ate disagreed with you, did medical check you out when you got back?"

Kara went with the short version " A virus maybe, I don't think it has anything to do with what I ate and yes I had a standard check up when I got back, and they warned us how the change in altitude might mess with us "

Lee started rubbing her back " Are you feeling better?"

Kara looked up " Yeah actually I do feel better, that's odd "

Lee stood up " Are you ready to get up?"

Kara nodded. Lee reached an arm around her and helped her stand up, then let go. " Do you feel well enough for you surprise now?"

Kara grinned " Yeah, can your mom see it too?"

Lee nodded " I guess if you want her to and she wants to go "

Kara needed to clean up " Go ask her while I brush my teeth and put my hair back in a ponytail, and Zak can come if he wants to "

Lee really didn't want anyone to go in case she hated the idea, but for some reason she wanted them there. Lee found Zak in the kitchen " Where is mom, Zak?"

Zak pointed to the back " She's outside, how is Kara?"

Lee stopped to answer " She feels better now whatever it was passed quickly, Kara wants mom and you to come with us to see her surprise "

Zak knew now for sure Kara was planning on living with Lee, he just didn't know it " Sure I'll go besides I helped work on it "

Lee nodded and walked out back and sat by his mom on the steps " Mom are you okay?"

She looked at him and smiled " I'm fine Lee, how is Kara doing?"

Lee shrugged " It's either a virus or her body is still adjusting from the high altitude she spent the last month in " he paused " Kara wants you to come with us to see her surprise "

Caroline only agreed because Zak had assured her Kara would be staying with Lee and she wanted to see Kara's reaction " I'll go just let me change clothes first "

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Zak had gone upstairs and got Kara's bag and put it in his mom's car knowing she would stay with Lee tonight. He also planned on driving his mom there and letting Lee ride with Kara so they wouldn't have to bring them home later.

It took some explaining to make it happen like that, but they all finally agreed. Zak knew Lee was as confused as Kara except about different things. He hoped Kara could pull off acting surprised when she saw the house.

Caroline knew this would not have happened if not for Zak. " You are a good brother Zak, thank you for what you did "

Zak shrugged " I was doing it for myself, I didn't want to have to listen to Lee whine the rest of summer break "

Caroline was looking in front of them at Kara's truck Lee was driving " I wonder where Kara got that truck, it seems to large for her?"

Zak chuckled " I have a feeling everything to do with Kara Thrace is larger than life itself and she probably loves that beat up truck "

Caroline sighed " I suppose you are right "

Kara was having to pretend she had no idea what was going on " Come on Lee give me a hint at least to where we are going "

Lee rolled his eyes at her " It is not much further Kara you are going to have to wait, just remember I love you, okay?"

Kara slid across the seat until she was sitting next to him " I love you to Lee, but since you won't give me a hint I'll just settle for torturing you " Kara slowly ran her hand across his stomach and back before heading downward to the top of his jeans slowly sliding her hand slightly inside and leaning over to whisper in his ear " Do we have time for me to give you a hand job?"

Lee jerked the steering causing them to swerve before he got the truck under control again " Kara stop that before we wreck " he glanced behind them " We probably just gave mom a heart attack "

Kara looked back also " Oh gods I forgot they were back there, I'm sorry Lee "

Lee smiled " I am still going to hold you to that offer you made as soon as humanly possible "

Kara snorted and moved back to her side of the truck " You can try "

Behind them Caroline was still trying to calm down " I thought Lee was a good driver "

Zak grinned, he had an idea of what happened because he saw Kara slide over next to Lee " He is mom, he probably just got distracted for a moment "

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They had come to a stop in front of the house and even though Kara was prepared to act surprised, when they parked almost exactly in the same spot Lee almost died Kara started hypervenalating and couldn't catch her breath. She scrambled out of the truck and fell to her knees trying to catch her breath, finally doing so only to start crying.

Lee had turned to her to say surprise and instead he saw her clutching at her chest and breathing fast and then opening the door and falling out of the truck. He had no idea what was wrong, so he jumped out to go to her, only Zak beat him to her. Lee watched not knowing what was happening, then he saw his mom standing by him " What's wrong with Kara, Lee?"

Zak saw what happened from the car and knew what was wrong and jumped out running to her. He knelt down and wrapped his arms around her " Kara it's okay, calm down " she clutched at his arms " Oh gods Zak "

Zak looked back at Lee and his mom " I know how you feel Kara, but it's over, Lee is okay "

Kara nodded after wiping her tears away " Help me up Zak " so he did.

They both turned to face Lee and Caroline and Zak explained " This is the same spot we found you Lee, the night you almost died and Kara freaked out a little, to be honest I was starting to myself until I saw Kara and I knew what was happening and I had to get to her "

Caroline gasped at the scene Zak described and was glad she had not witnessed it herself.

Lee went to Kara and pulled her into his arms " I'm sorry Kara I didn't know or I would not have put you through that " he looked at Zak over Kara's shoulder " Thank you Zak for then and for now "

Kara held onto Lee until she got control of herself before stepping back " I'm okay now, show me my surprise "

Lee kissed the top of her head and walked her around the truck " The surprise is the house Kara, I rented it and mom, Zak and I fixed it up and furnished it in case I was able to talk you into living here with me while we finished our last year of classes "

Kara looked at each of them " You all knew about this?"

Caroline stepped forward " Before you say anything Kara go in and look at the place, I think you will love it "

Zak needed to get them moving " I am going in, you all can stand here as long as you want, I happen to know there is a beer in there with my name on it "

Kara laughed " There better be one for me to " she grabbed Lee's hand and pulled him across the street and into the house with Caroline following behind them.

Kara stopped just inside the door amazed, the living room was completely open to the kitchen and it even had a small dining nook. It was so open and not closed off. Kara hated closed off spaces ever since she was a small child, even though she sought them out when she needed to hide. She turned toward Lee " I love it "

Lee grinned " You haven't seen all of it yet Kara, come on " he pulled her along by the hand he still had a hold of. First he showed her the office/study area " We can put a bed in here if you want a room of your own "

Kara wrapped her arms around his " That would defeat the purpose Lee, although I reserve the right to kick you to the couch if I ever need space, now where do we sleep?"

Lee blushed, he knew his mom was right behind them " This way, but just so you know mom is the one who decorated the bedroom "

Caroline started trying to explain before Kara saw it " Yes I did, but I kept it simple Kara "

Lee opened the door for Kara to walk in she silently walked around the room looking at the queen sized bed with a matching dresser, something she never thought she would have. Her whole life consisted of miss-matched things. Caroline had placed a multi colored quilt on the bed and hung a solid blue curtain over the only window in the room, which was large enough to make it just right for the room.

After peeking in the closet and the bathroom she finally faced them " Thank you Caroline it is perfect " Kara was afraid to say more, she was close to tears already because of how much running into Caroline on that awful day had changed the course of her life.

Lee wanted to ask and make sure she was staying, yet he was still afraid she might say no. Zak as usual saved him again as he walked in carrying Kara's bag of clothes from the house and threw the duffel on the bed " Here is your stuff Kara and I refuse to unpack it for you, that you will have to do yourself " he paused a minute before adding " By the way since I helped fix the place up I call dibs on the couch if I ever need a break from dorm room life "

Kara chuckled " That's fine Zak as long as you don't bring any girls here with you "

Zak laughed " I promise I'll try not to, but I can't be blamed if one follows me here "

Kara knew he was kidding " Hey, where is my beer? "

They all walked out after Zak answered " In your fridge in your kitchen "

Kara held Lee back and threw her arms around him hugging him tightly " Thank you Lee for this place, for your family, for loving me, for everything "

Lee hugged her back " How come I feel like I have known you forever?"

Kara pulled back and kissed him " Maybe because in some way only the gods know, we have known each other forever "

After Lee made sandwiches for everybody for lunch and they all visited a while longer Caroline and Zak left leaving Kara and Lee alone in their home for the first time.

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A.N.-I hope I didn't end this to sappy.

I am concerned the story isn't any good with the lack of reviews, but none the less I intend on finishing this one.

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