Quarters, she thought, bouncing the small round metal disks in the palm of her hand. Everything here was so alien. The clothing, the music, the language. Even the currency was strange. It had been Lee, of course, who had figured out the language first. They'd found the 13th tribe, all right, but as it turned out a few thousand years did a lot to change things. Kara eyed the machine in front of her and rolled the coins in her hand a little more.
She felt, more than heard, Lee walk up behind her. After a moment of silence, he said, "It's a vending machine, Kara. Just like we used to have in the Colonies. I don't think it's going to bite."
"Yeah, someone said that about the Cylons once, too." Her mouth twisted into a bitter line, and she heard Lee let out a long, slow breath. He was trying not to sigh at her. Let him. He wasn't the one the Gods had yanked around mercilessly, refusing to answer questions or show any kind of clear path.
"Well, we know better now, right? So we can teach them what our mistakes were, and maybe avoid it this next time around." She felt his left hand land gently on her hip as he reached around her with his other arm to guide her hand to the coin slot. He helped her drop the quarters in and then pressed the combination of buttons that told the machine to give her trail mix. Dried fruit and nuts. For the crazy lady. Perfect.
She twisted out of his grasp and snatched the small plastic bag. As she turned, Lee caught her by the waist and pushed her back against the clear safety glass of the archaic machine.
Kara's nostrils flared as she tried to break out of his grasp. She was adrift, had no idea what she was doing or where she was going. She wanted to just float away into the ether, but the Gods wouldn't let her, so she might as well just float here. "What are you doing, Lee?"
His face hovered dangerously close, and she could feel his breath on her face, feel the heat of his body so close to hers. His eyes searched her as if he could see straight through to her soul, assuming she still had one. "I'm not loosing you again." And then his mouth on hers and it was perfect and horrible and exactly what she was most afraid of. It was exactly what she needed.
When their lips finally parted, Kara let her head fall back heavily against the glass, and Lee followed her, resting his forehead against hers, and brushing her cheeks with his hands. "I love you, Kara Thrace. And I'm not letting you walk away from me again." She felt his thumbs smoothing dampness into her skin, but couldn't tell if the tears were his or her own.
It was a new world. They'd gotten another chance. Maybe this time, it didn't matter who the tears belonged to. Kara clung to Lee, to the one who always called her soul back. Maybe this time, she could learn to be whole.
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timeasmymeasure
Quarters
Date: 2010-05-20 05:19 pm (UTC)She felt, more than heard, Lee walk up behind her. After a moment of silence, he said, "It's a vending machine, Kara. Just like we used to have in the Colonies. I don't think it's going to bite."
"Yeah, someone said that about the Cylons once, too." Her mouth twisted into a bitter line, and she heard Lee let out a long, slow breath. He was trying not to sigh at her. Let him. He wasn't the one the Gods had yanked around mercilessly, refusing to answer questions or show any kind of clear path.
"Well, we know better now, right? So we can teach them what our mistakes were, and maybe avoid it this next time around." She felt his left hand land gently on her hip as he reached around her with his other arm to guide her hand to the coin slot. He helped her drop the quarters in and then pressed the combination of buttons that told the machine to give her trail mix. Dried fruit and nuts. For the crazy lady. Perfect.
She twisted out of his grasp and snatched the small plastic bag. As she turned, Lee caught her by the waist and pushed her back against the clear safety glass of the archaic machine.
Kara's nostrils flared as she tried to break out of his grasp. She was adrift, had no idea what she was doing or where she was going. She wanted to just float away into the ether, but the Gods wouldn't let her, so she might as well just float here. "What are you doing, Lee?"
His face hovered dangerously close, and she could feel his breath on her face, feel the heat of his body so close to hers. His eyes searched her as if he could see straight through to her soul, assuming she still had one. "I'm not loosing you again." And then his mouth on hers and it was perfect and horrible and exactly what she was most afraid of. It was exactly what she needed.
When their lips finally parted, Kara let her head fall back heavily against the glass, and Lee followed her, resting his forehead against hers, and brushing her cheeks with his hands. "I love you, Kara Thrace. And I'm not letting you walk away from me again." She felt his thumbs smoothing dampness into her skin, but couldn't tell if the tears were his or her own.
It was a new world. They'd gotten another chance. Maybe this time, it didn't matter who the tears belonged to. Kara clung to Lee, to the one who always called her soul back. Maybe this time, she could learn to be whole.