Notes: Okay, the moment you have all been waiting for. The wedding. I know that there has been a lot of anticipation from my readers for this moment. I hope it meets expectations.

Many of the words used in the wedding ceremony in this chapter are taken from the wedding ceremony conducted in the original Battlestar Galactica episode "Lost Planet of the Gods," the one where the original Apollo married Jane Seymour's character, Serina. I thought the words were lovely and would be a nice homage to the original series. Some of the words I added on to fit the circumstances and fill in some gaps I thought were present in the original ceremony.

Chapter Twenty-One:

Lee had everything in place. Kara was now walking around with a cane, and could manage short distances without it. He had Elosha, Dee, and Billy on board for the operation. He also recruited two more needed personnel—Cally and Racetrack. If this operation had been authorized, Lee could have been credited for his planning by his father. But this mission wasn't authorized, and Lee now had to lie to his father to pull it off.

His father was standing at his station in CIC when Lee came in. They hadn't seen much of one another lately, mainly because of Lee's bitterness over his father's orders not to marry Kara. When the younger Adama approached his father, the older man gave him a glance before looking back at a report he was reading.

"Captain," said Adama. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to inform you that I will be off ship as of 15:00," said Lee. "I'm flying a Raptor run to Cloud Nine."

"The one for the comms repair," said Adama. Galactica had received the request from Cloud Nine for assistance repairing their damaged comms a few hours ago.

"Yes, sir," said Lee. "I should be back early tomorrow morning."

"Why are you flying a Raptor run?" asked Adama, now looking at his son.

"Before the war started, my Raptor re-quals were coming up soon," said Lee. "I should go ahead and do that, since as the CAG I might be asked to fly one in a combat situation. Racetrack will serve as my back seater."

Adama nodded. "Agreed," he said. "When you get to Cloud Nine, use the opportunity to take a break. You've earned it. But be back here ASAP."

"Yes, sir," said Lee, as he turned to leave CIC. When he left the room, Lee let out a huge sigh of relief. "He bought it," he said to himself.

Lee suited up and went down to the hangar. When he got there, he found Cally and Dee waiting for him.

"Everything set," asked Lee.

"Yes, sir," said Cally. "You're Raptor is up and ready. Your back seater is already aboard."

Lee smiled. "Thanks, Cally. By the way, tell Racetrack to remember to keep out of sight until I return."

"Yes, sir," said Cally. "Have a good flight."

"Right," said Lee. "Dee, let's get aboard."

"Yes, sir," said Dee, with a knowing smile.

When the two of them climbed into the Raptor, Lee put his hand on the shoulder of the person suited up, helmet on, sitting in the back seater's chair. When the hatch closed, Lee spoke to her.

"Ready, Kara," said Lee.

Kara turned in the back seater's chair and smiled. "Damned straight," she said. "I just hope Racetrack doesn't get found before we get back."

"She's got a good hiding place picked out," said Lee, as he sat in the pilot's seat. "She said she was going to take the opportunity to read a good book and rest."

"Great idea by the way, Dee," said Kara. "Billy gets the Captain on Cloud Nine to request assistance repairing their comms, then you volunteer to go and help."

"It was the only way I could think of to go without arousing suspicion," said Dee.

"Well, let's get out of here before something blows the whole thing," said Lee, as he powered up the Raptor's engines.

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Lee and Billy stood with the Priestess Elosha in a small meeting room on Cloud Nine. The room had once been used for business conferences, but it was today to be used as the setting for a wedding. Lee stood in his dress uniform, fidgeting with nervousness as he waited for his bride-to-be.

The door to a small side room opened, and Kara and Dee stepped into the room. Lee recognized the dress Kara was wearing as being the same one she wore to the Colonial Day Ball two years before. She hobbled in with her cane, but Lee couldn't help but admire how she still carried herself with dignity and her own kind of grace.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," said Kara. "Dee and I had some trouble getting this thing not to look wrinkled considering it's been in my locker for a year."

"You're worth waiting for," said Lee, taking Kara's hands. "More than worth all of it."

"Now that we are all here," said Elosha. "Shall we begin?"

Lee and Kara looked the priestess, and then at each other. They nodded in unison as they looked at each other with beaming smiles.

Elosha opened the scroll she was holding. "The words I am about to speak are the most powerful in all the universe. They seal the union between this man and this woman, which is not only for now, but for all the eternities." She looked at Billy. "Billy Keikaya, you have a dual role to serve in this ceremony. You stand with Lee Adama as his Best Man, but also act in the role traditionally held by Kara's father. Billy, as the designated protector of Kara for this ceremony, do you consent to relinquish your responsibilities to Lee, to whom she is to be married?"

Billy smiled. "I do so consent."

Normally, Kara would have laughed hysterically at the notion of Billy Keikaya being her protector, but in this moment, she was caught up in what was happening. She looked into Lee's beautiful eyes and tears began to fall down her cheeks. At long last, Lee Adama belonged to her for keeps, and she belonged to him.

"Kara," said Elosha. "Under the eyes of the gods, do you vow to have Lee as your husband? Do you vow to love, honor, cherish, and care for him, in times of success and times of hardship, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do give my solemn vow," said Kara.

"Lee," said Elosha. "Under the eyes of the gods, do you vow to have Kara as your wife? Do you vow to love, honor, cherish, and protect her, in times of success and times of hardship, for as long as you both shall live?"

"I do give my solemn vow," said Lee.

Dee handed Elosha a small span of simple rope. The priestess wrapped the rope gently around the joined hands of Lee and Kara. Then, using his free hand, Lee placed a simple wedding band on Kara's finger. Dee handed a similar ring to Kara, who placed it on Lee's finger.

"Lee, Kara," said Elosha. "Under the eyes of the gods, bound by the symbol of the fates of the Lords of Kobol, I declare you sealed."

Lee and Kara smiled, and then kissed one another.

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That night, in quarters Billy helped them to secure, Lee and Kara lay in a posh bed that could have accommodated four people of their size. But the two of them barely took up any room at all. Instead, they both lay on their sides, holding each other close. Kara was nestled against Lee as if she were in a protective cocoon of warmth, his body wrapped around her.

As he caressed Kara's hair gently with his hand, Lee just stared at each Kara with a look of wonder. "What are you staring at?" asked Kara.

"My beautiful wife," said Lee. "Mrs. Kara Adama."

"Yeah," said Kara. "Your wife. And you're my husband. Only, when we leave here tomorrow…"

"Don't think about tomorrow," said Lee. "Tonight is what we think of now. We deal with tomorrow when it comes. But know this. No matter what appearances we have to maintain in public, you are my wife and I am your husband. We know that in our hearts. Nothing can touch that."

"I love you, Lee. So much it hurts to think of being without you."

"I love you, too. And I'm always with you, in your heart if I can't always be in person."

The two of them kissed, and then consummated their marriage, all the while fighting back the coming morning together.

End of Chapter Twenty-One. Chapter Twenty-Two coming soon. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.