Z-plus 7 years

"Zak, come and get your shoes on right now or I'm leaving without you," Kara called through their quarters to her son. He appeared in the doorway to his bedroom, a grin on his face.

"You can't leave without me. It's my birthday."

"We'll give all your presents to Hope." That got him moving.

"Is Grandpa still coming?" he asked his mother as he tied his shoes. They were having a party for both Zak and Hope, halfway between their two birthdays.

"Yeah, he and your Dad are going to meet us in the mess hall."

"And they're in uniform, too, right?" Kara couldn't help but smile. They'd managed to find a dress uniform that was almost small enough to fit Zak – he was still growing into it – and, much to his parents' amusement, he loved wearing it for any and all special occasions.

"Yes," Kara told her son, "They've been in the CIC this morning, so they're in uniform, too."

"Good. Then we'll look the same."

"Mmm. Are you ready to go now?" Zak nodded.

"Yes, Sir!"


By the time they got to the mess hall, Tyrol, Sharon, Boxey, Hope, and the youngest member of their family, three-year-old Evan, were already there. "Zak!" Hope squealed, jumping up and running to hug him. Kara rolled her eyes with a smile as she looked to Sharon.

"You would think they hadn't just seen each other yesterday," she told her friend.

"Anybody hungry?" Tyrol asked the kids. Calling in a few favors had enabled them to get some real food for the occasion instead of rations.

"I am," Hope told her father.

"Definitely," Zak agreed.

"Me, too," Evan piped up from his place in his mother's arms.

"But we can't start without Dad and Grandpa," Zak protested, remembering that not everyone had arrived.

"Did I hear my name?" The little boy spun around to see that Lee and Adama were walking into the mess hall. With a grin, he saluted his grandfather. "At ease," he told Zak.

Hope grabbed her friend's hand, dragging him over to the table where they had the food set up. "You're not a real officer, you know," she told him.

"But I'm gonna be," he shot back. "I'm gonna be the best fighter pilot there ever was. Even better than Mom and Grandpa."

"Oh, what? I don't get thrown into that mix?" Lee asked his son.

Zak smiled. "Okay, you can be third."

"That's my boy," Kara told him, laughing at the put-out look on her husband's face.


The food wasn't stellar, but it was better than usual, and the children hadn't ever known anything else. They'd even managed to find a little bit of what passed for cake on the battleship. Zak and Hope's favorite part, of course, was presents. Zak watched over his best friend's shoulder as she opened her gift from her parents.

"Wow!" the little girl cried when she got the lid off the box. Inside were pad of paper and several different colors of paint, along with a few brushes. Hope had developed an interest for art early, and nearly everyone in the crew had at least one of her sketches or paintings. Pencils and paper weren't too hard to come by, but paints were another story.

"We thought our quarters could use some new decorations," Sharon told her. "You think you're up to the challenge?" Hope nodded.

"Absolutely."

Zak looked up as he heard his grandfather say his name. He got up and headed over to the table where Adama was sitting. "Yes, Sir?"

"I have something to give you; I think you're old enough for it now."

"What?" Adama pulled the object from his pocket, and gave it to his grandson. Zak examined the two bits of metal that were in his hand.

"Dogtags?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Zakary Adama. Were these my uncle's?"

"Yes, they were."

Zak studied them a little harder. "Why are you giving them to me?"

"Every pilot has them." Zak grinned.

"I'm not a pilot, yet, Grandpa."

"But 'yet' is the key word, isn't it?"

"Yes, Sir." Adama took the chain and put it around the little boy's neck.

"May the Lords keep you safe whenever you wear these," he told his grandson. Zak regarded the plates of metal again.

"Don't worry," he said with a little smile, blue eyes shining. "I won't die." The nearly-seven-year-old gave his somewhat-startled grandfather a hug, and then scampered off to rejoin his friends.

Kara sat down beside her father-in-law, handing him a drink. "He knows?" Adama finally asked her. She slowly nodded, watching her son play-fight with Boxey.

"He asked me how Zak died, and I could never lie to him. I promised you that I wouldn't. So he understands how important he is to all of us…In the months after the funeral, I never imagined all this would be possible. I mean, if anyone had told me before the holocaust that Lee and I would wind up together, I would have punched them out." Adama smiled. "But here we are…"

"The best things in life aren't always the ones that you plan on," he told her. Kara smiled, picking her own cup up off the table.

"I'll drink to that," she replied. Adama brought his glass to touch hers. They both watched as Lee joined in with Boxey and Zak, slinging his son over his shoulder and carrying him around the room as Hope demanded her friend's release. "Lee and I have one more present for Zak," Kara said after a long moment. "I don't know whether or not he's going to like it, though." Adama regarded her carefully.

"When are you due?"

"Seven months."

He nodded. "I saw the request for you go off the injections."

Kara sighed. "Tigh said that he would keep it quiet."

"He did. I just like to know what's going on with my crew. Medical requests catch my attention."

"Mmm."

"Congratulations. I always thought Zak was going to be an only child."

She laughed. "Yeah, so did I. Still not exactly sure how Lee talked me into it…He said he wants a girl this time. Like he's got any say in the matter."

Adama smiled. "Are you going to find out ahead of time?"

Kara shrugged, taking another sip of her drink. A little grin appeared on her face as she turned back toward him. "What's one more thing left to chance?"


Only one more chapter to go!