Maybe This Time - Kara/Lee, Helo, Racetrack 1/1 [PG]
Written for
wickedgillie. Story Request #2: special appearance by helo and/or kacey
Title: Maybe This Time
Author:
latteaddict
Date: 12.2.08
Rating: PG
Archive:
klficathon, The Fallout Shelter
Warnings: none
Genre: relationship/romance/fluff
Spoilers: no spoilers, fic based on aired eps only and spec
Pairing: Lee/Kara, Helo, Racetrack
Word Count: 1,100+
Time period: set ten days after Crossroads II
Disclaimers: I don't own them, Ron Moore does.
Summary: the more he tried to comprehend she was alive the less real it felt
Beta: Special thanks go to
boom_queen for her awesome beta help.
Maybe This Time
Ten whole days and Lee was ready to fake a medical emergency just to be let back aboard Galactica. The chain of events surrounding Kara’s return had blurred each moment into the other. He was probably still in shock but the more he tried to comprehend she was alive the less real it felt. Frustration was eating at him too. The flat out refusal of his father allowing him to see Kara caused an agitated, desperate block of ice to sit low in his gut. Lee couldn’t take much more of it. He had to see her.
It shouldn’t have surprised him when Helo showed up on the Rising Star later that day. He was a good man, even if a little misguided at times, and someone who would have Kara’s interests at heart. As Lee followed him to a quiet corner of the commercial docking bay he found himself mentally devising contingency plans to break her out if it turned out she was a Cy... . Lee shook the thought away. Though it was still a sobering thought to realise it didn’t matter to him if she was.
Helo handed Lee an envelope. “A boarding pass and explicit instructions on how to get on Galactica undetected. Chief is handling everything once you land. You’ll be herded through with the civvies in Dogsville and can come up through D-deck to the pilot’s quarters. Hotdog and Racetrack will be keeping the corridor clear for five minutes, hopefully giving you enough time to slip in.”
Lee blinked, “Does that mean she’s been returned to flight status?”
“Not exactly,” Helo grinned. “The Old Man’s got her on a tight leash; she’s confined to quarters unless accompanied by a marine. I think flying is the last thing on everybody’s mind.”
“Then how are they going to get rid of the guard?”
Helo coughed delicately. “Conjugal visit.”
Lee’s eyes went wide.
“Racetrack’s gonna convince the marine to turn a blind eye and let Kara have an hour with Sam.” Helo smiled broadly, “So leave your boots out.”
Lee’s face paled and he guiltily stammered, “You know there’s nothing like that between Kara and me. We’re just... I mean I only want to... I have to...”
Helo placed a solid hand on his shoulder. “You don’t owe an explanation to me. Just promise me you’ll take it easy on her, she’s been through a lot these past ten days and she’s as pissed off as a Northern Picon adder.”
Lee managed to half smile and said somewhat warily, “Great.”
Helo smirked, “Hey, at least we know it’s our Starbuck. Cottle gave her the all clear yesterday.”
Lee stood there almost ready to weep with relief. Then his stomach somersaulted into space. In just a few hours she would finally be within his reach.
“Does Kara know I’m coming?”
Helo shook his head, “Not yet, I was going to tell her when I got back.”
Lee looked the taller man in the eye. “Don’t.”
OoOoO
When Kara turned the corner she was nearly knocked over by Racetrack. “Hey, watch it!”
She gripped her towel at the knot to make sure it was secure before carefully scooping up her dropped shower kit.
Racetrack was whispering something to the marine and nodded down the corridor to a conspicuous pair of boots sitting just outside. The boots made Kara do a double take. The marine hesitated for a moment and then acquiesced, deciding that was a good moment to grab something from the mess.
Kara had a feeling that she should just keep her mouth shut. She’d seen Sam earlier that morning and they’d both stumbled over awkward words trying to let the other one down. When it became apparent they both had prepared similar speeches they’d ended up laughing and hugged each other instead. So unless Sam had changed his mind, there was no way he was there for sex. Something was up.
As Kara entered the quarters, she barely got a chance to notice the boots as Racetrack leaned in and said they had less than an hour. The woman’s face was overly pleased, like she’d finally solved some riddle. “Enjoy yourself, sir,” Margaret gave a cheeky salute and unceremoniously closed the hatch with a loud clang.
The room was empty of course, except for the drawn curtain of her bunk.
“We’re alone,” She announced as she walked around the bench to stand before her locker. Her stuff had been safely stored which was something that brought grateful tears to her eyes at the significance of the gesture. Every last thing should’ve been auctioned off.
“Kara?” The curtain slowly slid across.
At the sound of his voice, Kara’s heart suddenly leapt to her throat.
“Lee?” She spun around to see him get to his feet, a look of awed wonder clearly etched across his worn features.
They stood for just a few moments staring without moving. Their eyes were locked and the space between them seemed to shrink away.
For some reason she felt hesitant to make the first move. The last ten days had been harrowing and if one more person accused her of being a Cylon, Cottle’s certificate of human authentication or not, she was going to do something drastic. But more than that, she realised in an instant that she wasn’t strong enough to see doubt or fear in Lee’s eyes. Oh, she could probably do it if she had to, but she had a feeling it would cost more than she had to spare.
“My gods, Kara.” Lee’s voice was rough with emotion, and suddenly he was a blur, gathering her tightly in his arms. The unexpected contact took her by surprise. His embrace was crushing, loosening tears in the corners of her eyes. Why had it taken him ten days? It was an unfair question, but it came up nonetheless. She’d known access to her had been limited, but surely...
Lee breathed rapidly against the side of her face, and gripped her even tighter. It took her a moment to realise he was whispering her name over and over again. Another moment to realise he was crying. The resistance that had been building inside her broke. She cupped the side of his head and gently eased back so they were nose to nose. He smiled unguardedly, reaching up to wipe her cheek; she returned his trust by leaning in to kiss a tear that had travelled down to the corner of his mouth. They stayed close like that, breathing each other’s air, holding each other up.
With an effort, she tried to pull herself together and whispered out in an uneven voice, “I guess you have a bunch of questions.” She had questions too.
Lee shook his head and spoke close to her ear, lips sliding like a path of silk fire across her skin, “Questions can wait, Kara. Right now I just need to hold you.”
fin