Home
 
 
18 December 2006 @ 06:47 pm
Fic - Five Times Kara Thrace Killed L.  
My dear hubbie had this Very Important Exam last week (which he passed btw, I’m so proud), so the whole house was on my head, and I haven’t written a word in over two weeks (proofreading doesn’t count). So for the last few days I struggled with writers’ block. Or rather writers’ unblocking, which in my case means seven new ideas in a minute, and my head being about to explode. Finally I managed to channel all this energy into a not very well plotted and timed-out ficlet. It was prompted by [info]jatnj’s challenge, but it’s hardly a response to it ;)
Of course it’s Kara/Lee, and of course it’s twisted in my very own way. Hope you like. If not - tell me why ;).
Oh, and I’m in a foul mood, because I had a job interview today, and it went so lame, that I want to crawl under my bed, and hide from the world in which people know me, for at least a week. Instead I’m hiding away in the World Wide Web. Hmmm . . .
---
FIVE TIMES KARA THRACE KILLED L.
---
The first time was easy. He did not expect it. She had a knife in her boot, that he didn’t know about. That was before he realized how dangerous she could be.
---
“Hey bro! You home?” Lee yelled coming into Zak’s dorm room. The kid jumped out from the head, staring at Lee with his eyes wide open. The soft murmur of water running behind the closed door, told the older brother, that the younger was not alone.
“I’d come back later, kiddo, if I wasn’t so damn tired” Lee said with a smile, throwing his aching bones on the rack. “But I’ll close my eyes when she gets dressed.”
“It’s not that, Lee” Zak’s terrified expression didn’t change. He cast a sharp glance at the head door, and back at his big bro. “It’s the . . . You can’t tell anyone. You won’t right? I can trust you?”
“Hey, I’m your brother, Lee” Lee was sure that was reassuring.
“That’s why I’m afraid. She’s . . . My flight instructor . . . ”
That was like a blow. Lee knew who Zak’s flight instructor was. She’d written him a dozen letters in which she’d elaborated on younger Adama’s faults and feats. Faults more often. But not once she’d mentioned breaking the rules and regulations with him.
“Hi, Lee” she stood in the doorframe, clad only in a towel.
And Lee remembered how she’d refused to break the rules when it was him, who wanted to break them with her. Apparently his brother’s charm was more appealing.
---
The second time was the only instance, that she was physically able to defy him. She didn’t even plan it, didn’t want it. But he made her angry with some misplaced accusations, and she found this inner strength, sudden surge of adrenaline, that made her jump at him, and strangle him with her bare hands.
---
“All I’m saying is that is was unnecessarily cruel” she said in a subdued tones, so unlike her.
But he refused to listen. To hear the message hidden in between those words.
“You’re defending him? I can’t believe that you’re defending the man responsible for death of the man you supposedly loved!”
“I did love Zak!”
“Than how can you defend that . . . that . . ." he didn’t even know how to call the man who used to be his father. He hated him so much right now!
“He offered me a position on the Galactica.
Lee fell silent. Her voice was silent when she said that, and his anger suddenly evaporated, replaced by dread. He wasn’t sure he wanted her to continue, because right then he understood the hidden meaning.
“I’m going to accept.”
---
The third time was probably the most sophisticated and effective. She double timed it, hitting once, then allowing him to think that it was all over and she did not succeed. As it happened many times before. But this time she had the follow-up strike ready and waiting, and he was helpless when she launched an attack.
---
The pain he felt when he realized she’d slept with Baltar was a surprise. She betrayed him in more than one way. But he told himself that this time he was going to survive it, he could yell at her, insult her, pay her for that suffering by making her suffer adequately. And so he did.
“You’re a slut” he told her.
“I need ever pilot I’ve got” he replied when she asked if he’d miss her.
And he thought, this time he won.
But then she turned away and disappeared. Turned away and left, and he was sure she was never coming back.
And, of course, she took another piece of his heart with her.
---
The fourth time was the closest to the real thing. The resurrection facility had been down--as she learned later--due to the insurgency actions. They’d nearly lost all his data. He hadn’t been back in days after days, and she’d been going insane, all alone in that sickly clean apartment, thinking, wondering if she’d finally succeeded or not. Had, or not.
She hadn’t.
He came back.
---
The gun shot was real. The blood and pain were real, physical. It was odd to think, for those minutes when he lay on the floor of the bar on Cloud Nine, that he would die by Kara Thrace’s hand. But it was also somehow very fitting.
He did not blame her, no. Friendly fire happened. Shit happened. That was the part of the job.
But he reveled in the thought that she would have such an impact on his life. The ultimate impact.
Of course there were others who did not allow this to happen--Dee kept him from bleeding out, the Admiral called him back from the brink of slipping away, and Cottle sew him up.
And Kara never came to see the effects of her deeds.
---
The fifth time she planned it more carefully. Of course he would know, he got familiar with her traits by the time. She had to take extra measures, use something he would not anticipate. She played a game, requested a knife to cut the steak, pretended to be vulnerable. She fooled him. And stabbed him when he least expected.
---
He would never have done it, hadn’t he been drunk. Drunk with ambrosia, drunk with fresh air, and sunlight of New Caprica. The Day of Groundbreaking was so different from any other day of his routine life, that it seemed almost like cut out from the fabric of time and put in a different frame.
That was the first day in months that he felt alive.
So of course at the end of it, he had to come back to dead.
---
The sixth time she hoped would be indefinite . . .
---
.end
 
 
Current Mood: frustrated
 
 
( Post a new comment )
suffolkgirl[info]suffolkgirl on December 18th, 2006 06:15 pm (UTC)
Oh, I love this. The intercutting of the Lee and Leoben sections works very well.

Poor Lee! I loved this line:

But he reveled in the thought that she would have such an impact on his life. The ultimate impact.

It really spells out just how screwed up he is when it comes to Kara.

And then this bit just broke my heart:

That was the first day in months that he felt alive.
So of course at the end of it, he had to come back to dead.


As you know, I am an L/K shipper, and I think their relationship is fascinating. But Lee is my favourite character, and I always tend to look at things from his perspective...I really only want him to be with Kara because that's what *he* wants, and I want him to be happy. And sometimes I wish that he would be able to cut himself free of Kara and find someone to make him happy who isn't so screwed up. (Not Dee, because I think Dee is as bad for him as Kara in a different way, and it's obvious he doesn't love her enough).

Sorry, I've rambled off the point here. Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed this and I'm very happy you've sorted out your writer's block.
olga: Year of Hell[info]o_yannik on December 19th, 2006 08:26 am (UTC)
Oh, please ramble off the point all you want! I like that.

I love Lee's character, too, he's probably my dream-come-true fictional character: strong and bold on the outside, but deeply flawed inside. Gush, he's more damaged, than people give him credit for!

I know you haven't seen "EoJ" yet, so I won't elaborate, only say that my 'ship is back, but right now this is all so twisted and sick; there's no way I see them as "happy" now, or ever. They shouldn't be together, it's damaging to both of them, but they can't be apart. It's so real (as in - it happens in real life), it's scary. Luckily they are not real.
suffolkgirl[info]suffolkgirl on December 19th, 2006 06:38 pm (UTC)
Thanks for asking about my job, the closing date was only on Friday, so I haven't heard about an interview yet. Sorry to hear yours didn't go well.

he's more damaged, than people give him credit for!

Very true. When I first started reading BSG fic, there were a lot portraying Lee as this stable, well-adjusted person who seemed to be just there to support and help Kara and had no issues of his own, and that never seemed right to me. I think he's just as screwed-up in his own way as Kara is, it's just that it's less obvious because he's more internalised. I think that's coming across particularly clearly in season 3, especially from the vague spoilers I have heard about EoJ (I found I couldn't avoid them entirely!).

I think the reason I love Lee's character is that he is actually very different to how he appears on the surface. I always like reserved characters who other people tend to underestimate, who then show unexpected strengths or emotions. They are very interesting both to watch (especially as Jamie Bamber does a great job showing those layers to Lee) and write about.

You regret encouraging me to ramble now, don't you!!
Janet[info]jatnj on December 18th, 2006 11:35 pm (UTC)
Wow, remind me to stay away from you when you're in a bad mood. =) These were lovely, if not a little hard on Lee (and Leoben). I'm glad my challenge inspired you and helped get you over writers block. Sometimes a little nudge is all it takes.

Congrats to your husband and I'm sorry about the job interview.
olga: Beast[info]o_yannik on December 19th, 2006 08:30 am (UTC)
Thanks :)
You don't have to stay away from me, I don't bite. At least I not anybody besides Lee Adama ;)

I keep thinking about "bending the rules", but all I can come up with is all-out breaking them... Sucks...
Janet[info]jatnj on December 19th, 2006 11:55 am (UTC)
Bending/breaking - same thing...

I'd like to bite a little Lee Adama too! ;D
ammonite7[info]ammonite7 on December 19th, 2006 12:54 am (UTC)
You do such a great job with angst-filled, self-flagellating, sick Lee. "die by Kara Thrace's hand . . . very fitting," "reveled in the thought" - she killed him? Makes a person want to mother the poor boy something awful . . . either that or whack some sense into him.

Sad thing, she's going to go right on killing him, if he lets her.
(no subject) - [info]o_yannik on December 19th, 2006 01:46 pm (UTC)
ammonite7[info]ammonite7 on December 21st, 2006 12:34 am (UTC)
Mother him something awful - Mother him more than he should be mothered, hug hug hug, pet pet pet, yah.

I don't know if he's so much self-destructive as needy, desperate for love and intimacy. And Kara matches him for that and something else from his past, childhood past, I think.

I think RDM is going to split them, could be wrong, of course. If he has a therapist on staff or has any knowledge, Kara, in particular, is not ready for a long-term, intimate relationship. I think the only reason she finally let herself be with Lee is because she is safely married to Sam.
olga[info]o_yannik on December 22nd, 2006 07:32 pm (UTC)
Mother him something awful this "awful" didn't click ;)

I don't know if he's so much self-destructive as needy(...)

She's destructive. She hurt him several times in the past. And yet he keeps coming back for more. Damn, her apology was physically hurting! That's just the matter of interpretation of course, and I guess I'm too inclined towards that depression thing ;)

I trust RDM knows what he's doing here. I had doubts after "Unf.Business", but now I see he goes for the ugliest. Because the two of them are ugly. But watching this as a way of shaping fictional characters is a fantastic experience for me as a writer. I envy him, I never could drive my characters to extreme. He trespasses extreme. Wow!
ammonite7[info]ammonite7 on December 22nd, 2006 10:32 pm (UTC)
You trust RDM knows; I hope so, again, a therapist on staff? She's destructive and he keeps coming back for more - that's the pattern, isn't it? Which is why I created the backstory I have. Trying to partially explain that. Lack of love and intimacy from his mother. He's used to be slapped around from a place he should have gotten safety and love. My husband said as adults, we always go with what we're used to, what we've been accustomed to when we were children, the place of least resistance. It's what we learned from an early age. The only place Lee got love, safety and intimacy was Niki. And who is so like Niki and his mother? Anyway, that's my whole idea behind the creation of "Learning to Fly" as far as Lee is concerned. Plus what happens in the end. His fears of abandonment. Many men, in general, have a fear of dependency. American men do. They fear it, yet tend to be quite dependent in many ways. It's a male thing. Generally goes right along with homophobia, in many cases. A macho thing? Maybe. Would make an interesting study, how the two run hand-in-hand.

If you think this is ugly, you should sit in on my husband's Domestic Violence and Sex Offender groups.

Karen
olga: eye of jupiter![info]o_yannik on December 19th, 2006 01:48 pm (UTC)
Thanks so much :)
Although . . .

Makes a person want to mother the poor boy something awful

I can't say I understood the meaning of that ;)

I'm trying to figure out some funny story, or at least some funny moments in a story, but I can't help myself. Everything that comes to mind is angsty.

Sad thing, she's going to go right on killing him, if he lets her.

Even sadder (more sad?), that's what turns him on, so he gladly will. At least that's how I see their mutual attraction now - they're both self-destructive, and they are well capable of destroying the other. I wonder if RDM is going for a tragedy, or if he has some idea how to redeem those two, and still keep them together? Because I honestly can't see a "happily ever after" for them at this point.
I am no Cinderella: prettypinkdork[info]weirdofromafar on December 21st, 2006 10:26 pm (UTC)
Absolutely amazing,
olga[info]o_yannik on December 22nd, 2006 07:18 pm (UTC)
Wow, thanks :)
gabolange[info]gabolange on December 21st, 2006 10:48 pm (UTC)
This is exceptional. I like the juxtaposition of Leoben's deaths and Lee's losses.
olga[info]o_yannik on December 22nd, 2006 07:20 pm (UTC)
I kept thinking about it since--what was it--Occupation? But then - just like writers about Kara - to me everything on this show is about Lee ;)
phdelicious: BSG_Kara-Lee-loved[info]phdelicious on December 22nd, 2006 12:47 am (UTC)
That was incredibly moving. I love Lee and how he pretends to be so tough but Kara can destroy him with a look. It's so amazingly real and frakked up.
olga[info]o_yannik on December 22nd, 2006 07:22 pm (UTC)
He is frakked up, isn't he? And together they are the frak-ups of all frak-ups. And seriously, I don't even know if I still 'ship them or not... Guess I am...
Kris: Starbuck[info]sambethe on December 22nd, 2006 04:44 pm (UTC)
I like the back and forth cutting between Lee and Leoben - the rhythm and predictability and what it says not only about these two men but about Kara.

Nicely done.
olga[info]o_yannik on December 22nd, 2006 07:24 pm (UTC)
Wow, I didn't think I could actually write something about Kara. Really, I can't get the feel of her. And here you say, that it says something about her! I'm flattered :)