Title: In Between – 3/3 COMPLETE
Author: Elise/Ringred
Date: 12/18/2006
Rating: M/NC-17 (to be on the safe side)
Category: AU, Drama, Slight Angst, Humor, Romance
Warnings: some language, sexual situations
Spoilers: Anything that's been aired in the US. I don't think there are any future spoilers in here.
Pairing: Lee/Kara, some Lee/Dee
Disclaimers: Alas, I own nothing...but we all have our dreams.
Summary: Set over a year in the future. Lee and Dee are having marital problems and Kara keeps getting caught in the middle.

Please let me know what you think. Feedback is always welcome.

----------
Here goes…
----------

Location: Officer's Bunkroom

It felt like Kara had searched every inch of Galactica looking for Lee but she couldn't catch him. When she got to the break room Lee was headed for the hanger deck. When she got to the hanger deck he'd just headed for the gym. The gym occupants swore he was headed for the showers and the nuggets she found there were sure he was on his way to his office. The hatch to his office was, of course, locked.

Finally Kara gave up the search. She'd spent so much time running from one place to another that she'd almost forgotten why she wanted to find him to begin with. She was worn out and all the anger she'd been waiting to hurl at him had burned away hours ago. Maybe she'd be ready for round two after a good six hours of sleep. She could give him hell after the pilot briefing scheduled for 0500.

Kara yawned and pulled her tanks off over her head. She squeezed her eyes shut and stretched her arms and back in the process. A deep groan escaped her throat. That felt so good. Tossing her tanks aside, Kara stretched first one arm then the other. She bent forward, rolled her shoulders, and stretched her hands toward her toes.

"You coming to bed?"

Kara's head snapped in the direction of his voice. Her lips curled into a snarl. The asshole was lying in her frakking bunk. Maybe she was up for round two after all. "What the frak are you playing at, Apollo?"

Lee smirked at her tone. He stretched out comfortably on the bunk and put his hands behind his head. He was wearing those damn military briefs again. Her eyes flickered over his bare chest before she could stop them and Lee chuckled. "Enjoying the view?"

Kara ground her teeth together and glued her eyes to his face. "I'm not in the mood for this shit tonight, Lee. Get your ass out of my bunk."

"I thought you were looking for me, Kara."

The twinkle in those big blue eyes confirmed what she'd already suspected. The frakker had been hiding from her. "I'm fixing to commit justifiable homicide."

Lee shrugged unconcerned. "Well, here I am, Captain. To what do I owe the honor?"

She was so angry her hands shook with the desire to hit him. But she'd promised herself that she wouldn't lose control this time. She would not let him win. Kara shook her head. "I can't do this right now. I need to clear my head." She turned to leave.

Lee was out of the bunk and grabbed her arm before she could take two steps. He spun her around and pinned her back up against the side of the bunks. "You're not running this time, Kara. We're going to face this."

He was too close. His hands wrapped around her arms, his chest pressed to hers, his breath fanning her face. She couldn't handle him being this close. Kara wanted to struggle but she knew he'd only pin her tighter. Lee was a mean little frakker when he wanted to be. "Let me go, Major."

Lee grinned. His eyes ran over her face and down to settle on her mouth. "Using my rank won't back me off this time, Kara. It's time to finish this."

Kara's chest hurt. Finish what? She didn't want to finish anything. She wanted him to leave her alone until he finally made up his damn mind once and for all. Her eyes stung with tears but she fought them back. "I don't know what the frak you're talking about Lee. Let me go."

Lee paused and his expression turned thoughtful. His tight grip on her arms loosened slightly. "Why were you looking for me Kara?"

Kara pursed her lips and stared at his nose. She couldn't handle meeting those knowing eyes right now. "I was drunk last night."

Lee nodded. "I noticed."

"You…you climbed into my bunk," the words came out sounding like a question even though Kara knew they were a fact.

"I did."

"You were gone when I woke up this morning."

"I had a meeting with my father and Tigh at 0600."

That earned him a glare. "And you were avoiding the fallout from last night." She dared him to deny it.

Lee didn't bother. "I wanted to postpone the fallout from last night. I knew you'd be hung over, Kara. You're a bitch on a regular morning. I didn't want this to turn ugly. I don't want to give either of us an excuse to frak up again."

Kara rolled her eyes. "Frak what up again? What the frak is going on, Lee? I know you and Dee are having your tri-monthlies but don't you think you're taking it a bit far this time? Bunking with me? Screaming and yelling at each other in the middle of the frakking break room? Frak, Lee! You're lucky your dad didn't throw your dumb asses in the brig for conduct unbecoming!"

Lee winced. He stepped back and dropped his hold on her. "I was hoping you hadn't heard about that yet."

"I wouldn't have if I hadn't put the screws to Fluffy," Kara crossed her arms over her chest. "I knew something went down. EVERYONE knew something went down, but no one was telling me anything. They all thought I already knew, because once again I'm getting painted as the happy homewrecker!"

Lee reached out and tucked Kara's hair behind her left ear. His hand lingered on her face. "I'm sorry about that, Kara." His eyes were sad as they met hers. "I'm sorry about the way you've been treated because of our mess…because of my mess. It's not right and I'll do everything in my power to see it stops."

Kara shifted uncomfortably. She hadn't thought he'd noticed how the others were treating her. She shrugged and looked at her feet. "I'm a big girl and I'm certainly no frakkin' saint. I can handle it."

"You shouldn't have to," Lee said. "My marriage…"

"Let's get back to discussing that marriage, shall we?" Kara cut him off. "What were you two thinking going at it in the break room of all places?"

Lee grimaced. "I don't imagine Dee was thinking."

Kara's eyebrows shot up. "Dee? What about you?"

Lee shrugged. He started running his fingertips along the top curve of her left ear. His eyes followed his progress. "I wasn't doing any of the screaming and yelling. The…discussion started in our quarters. When I felt there was nothing left to say, I left. Dee wasn't satisfied with that conclusion. She didn't want to accept what I had to say. She followed me to the break room and that's when the screaming and yelling started. Dee voiced her opinions. I listened. There wasn't anything left for me to say."

"Fluff said there was loud screeching about you leaving Dee for that stupid viper bitch and that she would fight you every step of the way. She said my name came up numerous times connected to numerous unflattering adjectives."

Lee's eyes were guarded. "She must have been pretty close to catch all that."

Kara snorted. She reached up to the grab the hand playing with her ear. She laced her fingers through Lee's and pulled it down to rest on her hip. She waited until his eyes came back to meet hers. "Fluff heard it from Dumbo, who heard it from Rath, who heard it from Thug, who heard it from Mouth, who heard it from Racetrack, who heard it from Hotdog, who heard it from Showboat, who was apparently inside the break room when it all started going down."

Lee looked ashamed. "I didn't think…"

"About the fact that the gossip grapevine is the #1 source of entertainment on the Galactica these days?" Kara pulled away from him and dropped his hand. She walked a few feet away and stared at the wall. "You know, Lee, you and Dee don't seem to care what kind of damage you leave in your path when you pull this shit every few months. You fight, you make up, and you conveniently forget all the accusations you throw around and the names you call each other and other people."

"Everyone else?" Kara gave a bitter laugh. "They don't forget so easily. They actually believe that shit you two feed each other. They believe that we've been frakking around behind Dee's back since we escaped New Caprica. They believe that I'm out to destroy your marriage and your poor sweet dutiful little wife." She shook her head and reached up to rub her fingers over her eyes. "So when you two make up next week and hop back onto the path to happily ever after, everyone is going to believe once again that…"

"We're not going to make up next week, Kara," Lee said.

A sharp pain sliced through Kara's chest and she was thankful Lee couldn't see her reaction. "Sure you won't."

Lee stepped up behind her and rested his hands on her shoulders. "I don't want to belittle what you're saying, Kara. You're right. You're right about all of it. Our actions and the way we've let you shoulder the blame for our problems is unacceptable. We've allowed everyone to look down on you and judge you. I can't apologize enough for what I've put you through. I was…I was blind to the situation, to your pain, and that's unforgivable."

"There's plenty of unforgivable to go around, Lee," Kara acknowledged. She relaxed and leaned back into his body despite herself. Lee nestled his chin into the curve of her neck and slid his hands down to rest on her waist. Kara couldn't suppress a shiver of pleasure at the close contact.

"But there won't be a make up, Kara. There won't be a next time." His hands began caressing the bare skin of her midriff. His fingers snagged on the waist of her shorts, paused, and then dipped under the fabric to stroke gently at the skin beneath.

Kara had to lock her suddenly shaky knees. She shook her head in denial and fought against the fire stirring in her veins. "I don't believe you."

Lee smiled against her throat. He pulled her more firmly against him and Kara could feel his arousal press into her lower back. "Let me convince you, Kara." His voice was a low purr; his hands creeping further down her abdomen. "Let me make it up to you."

Kara's head fell back and a whimper escaped her throat. She ground her hips back against Lee's hard cock. She heard his breath catch and then he was sucking at her throat. His hands teased further south and Kara had to clench hers into fists to keep from guiding him to the ache between her legs.

She had wanted this so badly for so long. Why not just give in? Why not just take what he was offering?

The looming reality of losing him again held her back. Walking away from Lee on New Caprica nearly killed her. It was her fault. It was unforgivable. She'd been a coward and she'd run away from a love that terrified her. She would carry that burden and the wounds that went with it for the rest of her life.

But if Lee walked away from her tonight…if she let him in, if she believed, and he ran right back to Dee…Kara knew she wouldn't survive it. The good, the hope and love still within in her, would die. And what would be the point of going on?

Kara jerked away from Lee. She took a few shaky steps and spun to face him. Her eyes dropped to his groin before she could stop herself and a bolt of white-hot desire shot through her. "Frakkin' hell!" She turned back to stare at the wall. She couldn't look at him right now. "You can't do this to me, Lee. Don't you get that? It isn't fair."

Lee took a deep breath before speaking. "I filed the papers, Kara. My marriage is over. It never should've begun."

Kara stiffened. It couldn't be true. It wasn't possible. After all this time…

The sound of Lee moving interrupted Kara's thoughts but he didn't come any closer. Was he leaving? Kara wanted to stop him. She wanted to beg him not to leave, to make her believe.

Then something landed on her shoulder. Kara reached up and grabbed it. She looked down at Lee's briefs clutched in her hand. A smiled curved her lips. Maybe he was finally starting to understand her after all.

"You coming to bed?"

When Kara turned around Lee was stretched back out in her bunk with his hands behind his head. He grinned at her and Kara let herself return it. A weight that she'd been holding on her shoulders for the last two and a half years started to lift. She took a few hesitant steps toward him. "What happens in three months when we're at each other's throats, Lee? Gonna go running back to Dee?"

Lee snorted with laughter. "If we make it three months before our first fight, Kara, I'll throw a ship-wide party to honor the occasion. I doubt we'll make it week."

Kara rolled her eyes and threw his briefs at his head. "Frak you, Apollo. You know what I mean."

Lee ducked and caught them before his expression turned serious again. "You're not Dee, Kara. My relationship with Dee doesn't even compare with how I feel about you. It never has." He paused ashamed. "When I fought with Dee it made me want to run to you, Kara. It gave me an excuse to search you out and push the boundaries between us. Looking back, I think I started at least half those fights for just that purpose." Then his expression cleared and he smiled again. "Thankfully when I fight with you I usually end up wanting to frak you through the wall."

Kara laughed and shook her head. "We are two seriously frakked up individuals, Apollo."

Lee shrugged. He reached up to grab her hand and yanked her down into the bunk with him. "We deserve each other."

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Kara looked up into those beautiful blue eyes. "Do we?"

Lee dipped his head and brought his lips to hers. "No one else deserves to get stuck with us." He cut off her answering laugh with his kiss.

----------
A few hours later…

"Kara! Kara, wake up!"

A frantic voice sounded through the dimly lit bunkroom. Kara yawned and opened her blurry eyes. What the frak was going on?

"There's still time, Kara! We can do this! Don't give up hope! You can still be saved!"

Kara felt Lee stir beside her. He yawned and reached up to rub his eyes. "Is that Cally?"

Something in Kara's fuzzy mind recognized that it was. She yawned again and nodded. What was Cally yapping about?

"It's okay, Kara. We'll grab some ambrosia, some food, we'll hop in a raptor and…" The curtain on Kara's bunk yanked open and then Cally was staring at them with wide shocked eyes. Finally her face twisted into a scowl. "Ah hell!"

Kara couldn't help it. She burst into giggles. The look on Cally's face was priceless.

Cally sent Kara her best death-glare for a moment but then quickly transferred it back to a sleepy Lee Adama. "Why is there a Tubby in your bed, Kara? You'll catch the Noodle Plague!"

Kara couldn't seem to stop giggling. Lee glared back at Cally. "It's over, Cally. We're together. Get over it."

Cally looked ready to attack. Instead she crossed her arms over her chest and spoke through gritted teeth. "I've changed my mind, Kara. You can be with Boomer."

Kara finally got herself under control. She smiled at her best friend. "I love you, Cally. I really do." She reached up and grabbed the curtain to her bunk. "We'll talk all about this tomorrow. Get lost." She yanked it closed.

Lee sighed as they listened to Cally cuss. "I'm stuck with her now, aren't I?"

Kara snickered. "Trust me, Apollo. You're not nearly as unhappy about it as she is." She snuggled back into Lee's shoulder.

Lee angled his head to give her a kiss. "It has its compensations."

Kara smiled and kissed him back. "Kara Thrace loves Lee Adama."

"Lee Adama loves Kara Thrace," Lee answered.

They spoke together. "No take-backs."

Whap! Cally slapped her hand against the closed curtain. "Oh gag me with a frakkin' spoon! What are you…five? Get a new catch phrase!"

----------
The End…for now at least.
----------

Well, I hope you all liked it!

Elise/Ringred