A/N: written for a prompt at pilots_presents on LJ
The tillium refinery victory celebration was roaring in the rec room, but what had started as a night of toasts and congratulatory pats on the back, had degenerated into a game of truth or dare culminating in the current loud demands for Lee to come clean about the scar on his face.
"Come on Captain! Tell us! How did you get that pretty face of yours marred up like that?" Yelled Showboat and everyone cheered.
Lee looked over at Kara in the back of the room and caught her smirking at him. She had her chair leaned against the wall with her feet propped up on the table and raised her shot glass in a mock salute. He was in a pickle, and he knew it.
Lee smiled noncommittally and took another sip from his drink.
It had been an unseasonably cold night and after two weeks of intense survival training in the frozen mountains of Picon, Lee and his squadron were huddled in a booth at the local dive, downing whiskey, trying to get warm.
The training was exactly what Lee had needed. He'd been feeling restless and unsure of his career path and was chafing to get off campus and DO something when his squadron had been sent on the surprise survival course on the jagged and unforgiving planet. Two weeks of hiking and foraging for food, combined with mock skirmishes had helped him get rid of all his pent up energy. He finally felt a real sense of camaraderie with his squadron. Up in the freezing cold, being an "Adama" meant nothing and Lee had bonded with his team.
Sitting in the dingy bar, they were getting drunk and scoping out the joint for girls when he saw her. She was playing triad with a group of burly locals and by the look of things, her winning streak was not something her tablemates were too happy about. Just then, she looked up, catching his eye and his heart skipped a beat.
"It's not as good a story as you guys think. Don't want to spoil your fun," Lee smiled and turned to look at Kara again for her reaction, noting that what had been an amused look seconds ago had a new intensity to it. Lee frowned and she just shrugged her shoulders.
"I think it was a lovers' spat." Hot Dog spoke up, the alcohol making him bold. "I think our Captain here got into it real hot and heavy with some wild girl and she just scratched the hell out of him."
Everyone in the room whooped and automatically turned to look at Kara. She just threw her head back, laughed and took another sip.
"You think everything is a lovers' spat Hot Dog," someone else said to the sound of more cheering & jeering.
"Come on Apollo! What is it? How'd you get your scar?"
Lee looked around and saw the anticipation on their eager faces. It hit him suddenly just how young these pilots actually were. He had a momentary twinge of sadness for these kids whose only source of entertainment was each other. Making a decision, he looked down at his drink and decided to drag it out just a little bit longer.
She was … spectacular, is the word that came to Lee's mind. There was a fierceness about her … a cockiness that Lee was sure was warranted. He knew he had to meet her. Trying to ease himself out of the booth, he saw her lean back in her chair and smirk at the giant sitting across from her. Lee couldn't hear what she said, but in the next instant, all hell broke loose.
Someone had turned over the table and cubits and cards went flying. Sounds of shattered glass was punctuated with angry shouts and somewhere in the middle of it all, the girl had fallen off her chair and was sprawled on the ground with the big man hovering over her.
Acting purely on instinct, Lee jumped in the middle of the fray, shoving and punching his way through. By the time he got to her, she was already standing, hands on her hips and a challenge in her eyes.
"Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Lee said as he pushed the big guy aside.
"Why don't you mind your own frakking business?" He said, pushing Lee back against another table.
"Hey! I don't need your frakking help flyboy. Get the frak out of here." The blond girl hissed, her face flushed and her hands balled into fists.
Lee turned at the sound of her husky voice and took a good look at her. Their eyes locked and he saw a flicker of something other than anger in her eyes for a brief second. He opened his mouth to respond when a blinding pain shot through his ribs. He'd been punched in the gut and as he doubled over in pain, he heard her hiss "Sonofabitch" and that's when the real fight started.
Lee downed another shot and looked over at Hot Dog. "For the record Hot Dog, it wasn't a lovers' spat. What kind of girls are you dating?"
"It's his left hand, sir. Can get pretty rough on him when he doesn't play nice." Showboat shouted from across the room. "But come on, sir! Don't keep us in suspense. How'd you get your scar?"
Lee shrugged. "You're just going to have to live with disappointment, Showboat, because I'm not telling. A guy's gotta keep his secrets."
The room took this as an invitation to start guessing.
"I bet it was some sort of lame accident. Like you walked into a tree or something and you just don't want us to know."
"Or maybe you fell off your bike when you were a kid."
"Or maybe got mauled over in a pyramid game."
"Or maybe you got punched in the face by Starbuck."
At that last remark, the room fell silent and they all turned to look back at Kara, who suddenly become very interested in her drink. She peeked over her glass at Lee and this time, he was the one throwing his head back and laughing.
Lee opened his eyes and winced. He was lying on his back and everything hurt. He tried to move but was stopped by jabs of pain shooting up his chest so he stilled and tried to take in his surroundings.
"Look who's finally awake!"
Lee looked up and saw the doctor leaning over him with a flashlight. He tried to move his head and saw stars.
"Hey … hey. Easy. You were pretty banged up. Nasty cut on your face too. Just lay still and let me do my job, okay?"
The doctor's cheerful tone was grating on Lee's nerves, but he didn't have a choice. So he just relaxed and let the doctor poke & prod him.
"Where am I? What happened?" Lee asked as soon as the doctor stepped back.
"Well, you're in the officer's ward on Picon's military base. Apparently, you thought you could singlehandedly take down eight men twice your size. The MPs are waiting to take down your statement and your girlfriend over there has been worried sick about you."
"My girlfriend? I don't have a girlfriend."
Lee looked over the doctor's shoulder and saw her standing in the back, leaning against the ward's doorway.
Oh.
She had blood splattered on her tanks and her left wrist was bandaged and in a sling, but other than that she didn't look any worse for wear.
"Huh," the doctor frowned, looking back over his shoulder with a hint of annoyance. "Well for someone who's NOT your girlfriend, she's been giving us a whole lot of hell the past few hours."
Lee looked over and caught her eye. He tried to smile but the pain made him wince, so he settled for giving her a little wave. She waved back and shook her head.
"Okay. Now that that's settled, I'm giving you a painkiller, so you should start feeling a little tired. You can catch up with each other later. And don't forget those MPs. Sounds like trying to defend your non-girlfriend's honor has gotten you into some trouble, Cadet Adama."
At the mention of his name, Lee groaned and closed his eyes. Great. Now they were going to get his dad involved and he'd never hear the end of it. He tried to open his eyes and ask the doctor not to call his father, but the drugs kicked in and he fell asleep.
Sometime later, he woke to the stern face of his father and the two MPs standing over him. He looked over to the back of the room, but she was gone.
"Like I said, a man's gotta keep his secrets." Lee chuckled, leaning back in his chair. He looked over at Kara, who seemed to have regained some of her composure and winked.
"Aw come on! You're not playing fair, Captain. We told you our secrets!"
"Yes, and for that, I'm eternally grateful, Crashdown. Seriously didn't need to know about your freakish toe fetish. That's just disgusting."
More hooting and hollering followed and Lee turned a questioning look back to Kara who just shrugged.
Giving a dramatic sigh, Lee place his drink back on the table and said, "Okay, okay. You want to know how I got my scar?"
"Yeah!"
"Hell yeah!"
"Woo hoo Captain Adama!"
Lee laughed and got to his feet, turning to make sure he had a captive audience. "It was a cold, cold night on Picon," he began dramatically. "I was at a bar with a bunch of my buddies, minding my own business when some local guys started a fight. I looked over and saw a girl stuck in the middle and well …" He fanned out his hands and struck a pose. "What's a guy to do? I had to go to her defense."
He heard a snicker from Kara as the rest of the room clapped and cheered.
"So it was over a girl!" Hot Dog shouted over the fray.
Lee laughed. "Yeah Hot Dog. It was over a girl. This really hot girl who was clearly in over her head."
Kara spit out her drink, leaned back and crossed her arms on her chest, looking amused.
Lee just ignored her and continued in a theatrical whisper, forcing everyone to quiet down and lean in to hear him. "So there were about fifteen men advancing on this girl. I punched out two of them before I noticed her huddled in a corner, trying to avoid getting hit."
"Yeah. Right." Kara said from the back of the room, prompting everyone to look over at her.
"Shut up Starbuck. It's my story and I'm gonna tell it like I want! Where was I?"
"She was huddled in a corner …" Hot Dog supplied.
"Right. Scared out of her mind. I had to get to her. I—"
"What the FRAK is going on here?" Tigh's bellow at the hatch made everyone jump. "Did we declare some sort of a holiday that I'm not aware of? Go get yourselves cleaned up. You have less than 3 hours to your next shift. MOVE."
The XO glared at everyone as they scrambled to down the last of their drinks and get out of the rec room. He looked over at Lee and ground out, "Captain, I'll see you in the CIC at 08:00 and I expect to see the updated shift and refueling schedules on my desk at 07:30. Don't be late."
He glared once at Starbuck in the back of the room, and walked out.
Lee dropped down in his chair and took another drink. "Asshole," he said as he looked over at Kara's smiling face.
"Superior asshole," she smirked, slowly getting up and sauntering towards him.
The "talk" with his father had sapped all his energy. The great Husker Adama had managed to lessen the charges and had spent a good deal of time reminding Lee of his obligations and duty as an "Adama." At the end of the long lecture, Lee was relieved to find himself left with a verbal warning and no permanent dings on his record.
He laid back on the pillows, grudgingly grateful to his dad when his thoughts wandered back to the girl.
Lee Adama wasn't exactly the pick-up-a-random-girl-in-a-bar type. He was particular about the girls he dated and didn't necessarily enjoy drunken one-night stands. But there had been something about this girl that had gotten to him. Something that had made him jump into the fray without much thought, which was certainly not his style either. Lee Adama did NOT get involved in bar brawls.
She didn't even look like the type of girls he normally dated. His usual fare was petite, docile and elegant women, and she certainly didn't fit any of those criteria. He knew she was military. He'd had a momentary glimpse at the dogtags around her neck, which explained why she'd called him "flyboy" back at the bar. That could certainly be a complication, but he was willing to risk it.
There had been a strong and instinctive connection between them during the fight. They had, almost immediately, struck a fluid balance as they traded punches with the brutes. It had been the most fun Lee had had in a long time and the way she kept brushing up against him as they stood back to back sent thrills down his spine.
He closed his eyes as the thought of her lithe body flush against his invaded his memories. This was really not a good time to be thinking about that, especially since he'd been too discombobulated to even ask her name!
Goddsdammit! Where had she gone?
"I'm right here flyboy." She said softly, making Lee jump. Had he said that out loud?
The pain shot up his chest again and he laid back down with a groan.
"Hey." He managed to squeak out between clenched teeth. "I thought you left."
"Nah. Couldn't leave you here alone with these hacks. Who knows what they would do to you if I'm not around to watch your ass."
Lee laughed and winced at another jab of pain. "Well, thanks. I … I'm Lee Adama."
"Yeah. I know."
Lee waited for her to offer her name or … something, but she just stood there, leaning against the door frame, smirking. "Are you going to tell me your name or do I have to guess?"
Kara laughed and stepped closer. "Kara. Kara Thrace."
"Nice to meet you Kara, Kara Thrace."
"Nice to meet you too flyboy."
"Stop calling me that."
"I can call you whatever I want. That's what girlfriends do. They come up with nicknames for their boyfriends." She winked and sat down on the chair next to his bed.
"Is that right? Is that what girlfriends do?"
"Yup. That's what I hear, any way."
"So … girlfriend. What else are you supposed to do?"
"Hey, don't get any ideas here flyboy. I'm just going to sit here and keep you company until they kick you out. You're on your own after that. You know, frat regs and all …" She pulled on her dogtags for emphasis.
Lee's eyes lingered on her chest as she let go of the tags. Looking up, he saw her all knowing and satisfied smirk. Yup. He was doomed. This girl was going to be the death of him. But somehow, he knew it was going to be worth it. Worth all the headache and secrecy. He smiled and closed his eyes.
"Okay, well, I'll take what I can get, Kara, Kara Thrace."
"It was a broken bottle of Picon whiskey." Kara said as she leaned over and took Lee's drink.
"What?"
"We were in the middle of the fight and you were beating the crap out of the brute who'd called me a cheating whore." She was moving closer, never losing eye contact with Lee.
"It was like you were on a mission to beat him into oblivion. You almost killed him. I tried to pull you away, but you just kept at it. One of his buddies snuck up and dragged me off of you and I screamed." She was standing next to him and Lee had to crane his neck to look at her. She had a smile on her face and a dangerous glint in her eyes.
"That stopped you. You turned to see why I was screaming and the guy smashed you with the bottle and the glass cut your face. Your eyes rolled to the back of your head and you passed out. There was blood everywhere." She reached out and gently caressed his scar.
"I was so scared." She said dramatically, clutching at her chest. "I kept trying to stop the bleeding and …"
"Wait," he interrupted. "What? YOU were scared?"
She smiled and smacked him lightly on the arm. "Well of course I was! According to you, I was huddled in a corner crying like a little girl."
Lee chuckled. "Well, you know. I had to make it interesting for these guys."
"Sure Apollo. You just wanted to make yourself sound all heroic. The mighty Apollo rescuing a damsel in distress!"
Lee eyed her carefully, bracing himself for what might come next. He watched as she moved closer. Leaning forward, she overextended and lost her balance. Lee grabbed her hips to keep her from falling and Kara placed her hands on his shoulders and shifting her legs, straddled him. One jerk of his arms and she was sitting in his lap.
She gave a throaty chuckle and adjusted her seat, increasing the pressure and eliciting an appreciative groan from Lee. "Mmmm … Maybe I like it when you're being the big hero. Maybe I want to keep the myth alive. Maybe I don't want anyone to know the real story."
Lee turned his face to her hand, kissed her palm and said, "You mean the story about how my girlfriend took me to the hospital and cried over my bed for days, worried sick and praying to the Gods for my recovery?" He shifted under her and watched her eyes turn predatory. This was the Kara who drove him crazy with want. She was so infernally sexy it took his breath away. He ran his hands up her thighs and cupped her ass, pulling her in tighter against him.
She closed the gap between them and smiling against his lips, whispered, "Yeah. Buckets & buckets of tears, Lee Adama."
"Rivers of tears Kara, Kara Thrace." He smiled back as he tilted his head and kissed her.
She pulled back and kissed the scar on his cheek. "This? This is MY scar. And don't you ever forget it, boyfriend."
"I wouldn't dare."