Spoilers- Speculation on some storyline rumors for 2nd half S2 - This is what I thought Black Market was going to be...what a wasted opportunity.
Pairing-K/L
Disclaimers-I don't own these characters, Ron Moore does
Chapter 12
"You can do this. You can do this. It's going to be fine." Kara busts into laughter beside him and Lee sends her an irritated glare. "What's so funny?"
"You do realize that you were talking to yourself just now?"
He frowns at her, which only serves to send her off again.
"Lee, the only time I've ever heard you do that before," she bites back a giggle, "we were in a dogfight vying for our lives."
"Well our lives are about to change when we walk through this door." Her laughter stops abruptly and a long silence ensues until they both break down laughing to the point of tears.
Kara gasps, "My gods Lee, she's a little girl, not a cylon." She shakes off the nerves, "We can handle this."
"Now who's talking to themselves?"
She sticks her tongue out at him.
Lee rolls his eyes, "Real mature. You and Hannah will get along great, seeing as you're both the same mental age." She smiles, but when she bites her bottom lip, Lee takes her hand and squeezes it tightly. "Kara?" She looks at him, her eyes conveying all of her fears in a brilliant swirl of green and gold. There's so much he wants to say to reassure her, but instead he says the only thing that matters, "I love you."
Kara lets out a deep breath and kisses him softly, "Love you."
"It may take time, but Hannah is going to love you too."
"What makes you so sure?"
"She's half Adama," Lee tucks an errant strand behind her ear, "loving you is encoded within her DNA as a hereditary trait."
"Lee, that is so lame." He smiles in response and she hugs him tightly, "Thank you." She steps back from him and pulls the hatch handle, "Let's do this."
As she pushes the door open she hears the squeals of small children and cold dread slides through her stomach. The high pitched near screams are laced with happiness and humor that she doesn't initially understand. Kara's childhood was colored only with silent screams of agony, which echo within her head even now. It takes a breath for her to separate her past from the present…the horror from the hope.
She looks to Lee, seeking that calm center and instead finds an anxiety beyond her own sprawled across his features. In a twisted way, she finds his distraught pose reassuring. He takes her hand and squeezes it tightly, prompting her to ask, "What?" He makes no reply. She follows his intent gaze across the room to a small girl with brown hair and an eerily familiar smile. "Oh my gods."
"Can I help you?" Kara and Lee both jump at the sound of the unexpected voice.
Slightly embarrassed, Kara turns and smiles at the older woman before them. Her hair is slate grey and pulled back into a loose pony-tail with wisps escaping at random. She looks haggard but her hazel eyes are soft and kind. Lee is still watching the little girl in the corner as she colors, leaving Kara in charge. "Yes, I'm…" Kara halts, not sure how to explain her role here, ultimately, deciding that it'll be easier to focus on the family connection through Lee, "This is Lee Adama. I believe someone at your office spoke with the Admiral about our coming to adopt Hannah, as per Ms. Evans final request."
"Oh yes, I spoke to Bill myself. You must be Kara? I'm Ethel Barry, the daycare director here on the Rising Star." Ethel extends her hand and the young woman before her blinks in confusion before remembering herself and returning the gesture.
Kara's initial hesitance is a product of her combined surprise that the Admiral would mention her and the fact that Ethel called the Old Man by his first name as though she's known him all her life. "Uhm, yeah. Obviously, this is Lee" she nudges him in the ribs and he merely nods, never taking his eyes off that mess of brown curls.
It's clear that Lee Adama is spellbound by his future charge and Ethel is averse to breaking any connection that he may be forming where Hannah is concerned. Instead she presses on as though he hadn't ignored their introduction, "We'll its lovely to meet you both. Hannah is a delightful child and after what happened to Jenny," she drops off sadly before regrouping, "Well, it's just a relief to know that she'll be in such good hands with a lovely couple."
It's odd to have someone acknowledge her relationship with Lee in public and Kara can feel a faint blush run up the column of her throat. "Thanks." However, her smile fades when she reflects on the 'in such good hands' thing, and Kara confesses, "We don't really know much about children." She fears for a moment that she may have said too much and that Ethel may refuse to let them take Hannah, but shockingly the wizened woman chuckles softly.
"Well it's good to hear you say that." This statement and her soft belly laugh finally break the spell of the young Mr. Adama, who now looks at them both sheepishly. "I'd be more concerned about a couple coming in, looking to adopt, who think they know it all. I've worked with children for over thirty years and the only advice that I can give you is to treat each child as the blessing that they are." At their hesitant half smiles she offers helpfully, "I can also give you some books about what to expect and the developmental stages, as long as you remember, that your gut is a better guide than the books." She shakes her head at their matching relieved expressions, "You'll be surprised how quickly you'll pick things up and how instinctual a lot of parenting is."
Kara lets out a long breath and fights the sudden urge to hug the woman standing before them. As she opens her mouth, her words are stolen by Lee beside her, "Thank you, Mrs. Barry."
Ethel's eyes sparkle with a teasing gleam, "Call me Ethel dear…and it's nice to have you back." She cannot contain her mirth as he flushes crimson at her ribbing, "Why don't I grab the paperwork and find a few child rearing books, while you two get acquainted with Hannah?"
Lee can feel his stomach plummet and correspondingly his skin pales, "Does…does she understand about her mother? I mean, will she be okay with coming away with us?"
She gentles her tone and cuts straight to the issue they've been dancing around, "She knows that something is wrong, but death is a concept far beyond the reach of any two-year old. Children at this age are very emotionally attached to their parents, so don't be surprised if she cries for her mother or if she gets a bit petulant. But it's been over a week now and I'd say she's coping better than most adults. I chalk that up to the amazing resilience of youth." Her tenor shifts to a more hopeful note, "One of the best things about Hannah is that she's a very accepting child who's not afraid of new people. She's a charmer if there ever was one."
Lee's smile returns, as he recalls the way that Zach could wrap him around his finger with a slight quiver of his bottom lip. "Does she talk much?"
"Almost as much as you" Ethel retorts with a wink. That gets a cackle of laughter from the young woman beside him, "She's like most kids this age…she speaks in fragmented sentences from a basic vocabulary base. Just watch your language because she's also at the parroting stage where she'll repeat everything you say."
It's Lee's turn to smile, when Kara goes silent on his right. "Thanks for the warning. Can we?" he gestures towards the corner where Hannah is sitting.
Ethel smirks, "You two will be just fine." At their perplexed looks she elaborates, "If you knew who she was, without any indication from me, than that tells me that you've already forged some kind of bond with her…all you need to do is expand on that." She nods and turns toward a small adjoining office.
Kara squeezes Lee's hand inside her own, "Hey, you were really quiet…still with me?"
"Yeah." He looks at her apologetically, "It's just uncanny how much she reminds me of Zach, even from this far away."
"Well, let's take a closer look." When their eyes meet, his smile becomes more relaxed and weight in her stomach unclenches.
Lee nods and takes the first step closer.
Author's note: I'm writing the final chapter, but if you've ever tried to describe an interaction with a two-year old (or had one) you know what kind of challenge I'm facing. I'm lucky that my nephew is at the same age that Hannah...so I'll be stealing from some personal experience for the close of this story. Thanks to all of those who've stuck with me. One to go. Thanks.
