Chapter Forty-Six
"We are not naming him George," Kara insisted with a grimace.
"What? George is a strong name. A name that commands respect," Lee pointed out, running the tape machine down over the top of another box.
"Molly has these books she brought with her from Earth. George is a monkey."
"Fine. Asher. Come on. Asher Adama. A.A. It's cute," Lee offered with a smile.
"Cute will get his ass kicked in the schoolyard," Kara warned, trying to close her suitcase.
"Okay, fine, you come up with something," Lee said. He directed her to sit on top of the suitcase while he zipped it shut. "Last I heard, the world ended, where did you get all this clothes?"
"It's Kaylee's. Baby clothes somehow survived the nuclear holocaust," she joked. "Okay, I got one. Phillip."
Lee grimaced.
"What's wrong with Phillip?"
"I don't know, sounds a bit too…wishy washy."
"Is that right, Levi?" Kara asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Hey, what's wrong with Levi? My grandfather picked that name because he said it was good luck."
"With a name like Levi, he new you were gonna need it. Molly told me Levi's are jeans you know?"
"Hey that's it," Lee suddenly said, his eyes lighting up.
"You wanna name him Jeans?" Kara asked warily.
"No, you smart ass. Joseph," Lee said with a wide grin.
Kara turned to look at the little boy who was pushing Kaylee away as she kept trying to push one of her dresses over the top of his head. "I like it. But I think Kaylee likes Josephine better," she said with a snicker.
"Hey, Kaylee. You're a girl. He's not. He doesn't wear dresses," Lee insisted, as someone knocked on the door.
Kara stared at her father in law in surprise. Her hand went to her forehead in automatic salute.
"Have you seen this?" William asked, pointing to the door.
Kara looked around to the front of the hatch and gasped. "Frak me." Spray painted in black paint were the hateful words, 'Cylon Loving Traitors.'
"Who is it?" Lee asked, going still when he saw his father. He did not salute. "Sir."
"Looks like I'm not the only one taking issue with your choices," William said pointing to the door.
Lee looked at the words and his eyes widened, "Who the hell-"
"I'm gonna go get something wash that crap off," Kara said.
"Gaaaaaaaaaahhhh!" Kaylee shrieked happily when she came to the door and saw her grandfather on the other side.
William smiled down at Kaylee and made a move to reach for her but stopped and looked at Lee in uncertainty.
Lee picked Kaylee up and handed her to her grandfather. The little girl immediately went for his dogtags.
The little boy came to see what the commotion was and was none too happy to see the commander. "Fakking bat!" he snapped, seeing only the man who had torn him away from Lee and Kara earlier.
"So you've really decided to keep him?" William asked.
"That's right," Lee said firmly. "We're just waiting to sign the paperwork once we move into our new place."
"Have you found a new cabin?" he asked.
"No. We're staying on the Rising Star for now.
"Well, speaking of paperwork." William lifted the two thick manilla folders he was holding under his arm. "I need you to sign your resignation papers."
Lee took a deep, unhappy breath, wishing he could avoid this final duty. He knew he couldn't and that this had been this choice, but he wished there was someway he didn't have to make this final decision. "You could have just sent these."
"I wanted to watch," William explained; his blue eyes fierce.
"Watch what?" Kara asked coming back with a wet cloth.
"Watch you two throw your careers away for a Cylon," William growled.
Lee clenched his jaw.. "We're not doing it for her. We're doing it because of what you did. I will not serve in a military, and for a man I no longer respect."
William's face took on a similar expression and Kara stepped in between them.
"Okay you two, separate corners. What's done is done and we've got to figure out a way to keep the peace, for Kaylee's sake."
"I'm sure you wouldn't want a man you don't respect near your child," William sneered, though his eyes were filled with sadness.
Lee felt a guilty twinge in the pit of his stomach and a surge of anger at his father for always making him feel that way. Lee was in the right here. He knew it, but that didn't change the sick feeling he always got when he had to butt heads with his father. "Kaylee's grandfather will always be welcome to visit. The commander won't be."
The clear line was drawn in the sad. If his father still wanted to be a part of their family, his military self stayed here on the Galactica.
With a slow nod of acceptance, William kissed Kaylee on the cheek and tightened his grip on her.
As Kara and Lee signed the final papers, the little boy glared daggers at Adama.
Lee gave a snort watching him. "We finally settled on a name for him. Joseph."
William looked up from watching Kaylee playing with a look of surprise. "After your grandfather?"
Lee nodded.
William cleared his throat, his eyes becoming moist. "It's a good name."
