William Adama watched his son talking softly to the bride and knew that was a union to which he could give his blessing with ease if only it weren't too late.


William Adama watched his son talking softly to the bride and knew that was a union to which he could give his blessing with ease if only it weren't too late. He had spent many months watching the two of them dance around so many things.

The ghost of his youngest son. Their responsibilities in the military. Lee's decision to let go of his desire to live. The scars left behind by her first trip to Caprica.

Through it all, he had actually believed they could work through it. He saw the way his two children flew together. You didn't let a thing like that slip through your fingers without putting up a good fight.

Yet here he was, forced to give his daughter away to an outsider.

Sam Anders was a good man. He loved Kara with all his heart, but Adama couldn't help but feel their love was lacking a certain spark. Kara was a stubbornly opinionated woman, and she needed someone who would stand up to her from time to time. It might be the newness of their relationship, but Adama was pretty sure he had never seen Kara get angry at Sam.

He knew his daughter. That wasn't a good sign.

Adama sighed and looked over at the former President. She was in the middle of a rather heated discussion with Saul about the benefits of a socialized healthcare system. He knew he should probably pull the two of them apart, but it was actually rather entertaining. He figured he'd give them a few more minutes to work it out on their own and turned back to watch Lee and Kara. They were laughing now.

"It's rather interesting, sir."

Adama turned to look at the man sitting next to him. "What is that, Helo?"

"Well, I was always under the impression that the two of them would never actually let go of the hold they had on each other."

"Who says they did?" Adama asked.

"Sir?"

"All I'm saying is that Sam makes Kara very happy right now, but should that ever change, she knows where Lee and I will be."

Helo nodded his understanding. He prayed for Anders' sake that that day would never come. He had been on the wrong side of an Adama before and knew it to be less than fun. He hated to think what would happen if the reason Lee was mad those first few months had something to do with Kara. For someone who claimed there was absolutely nothing between himself and Galactica's CAG, he was awfully protective of her.

Adama sighed and got to his feet. "If you'll excuse me, Lieutenant, I believe as the father of the bride, I have the honor of the first dance."

Adama made his way to the front table, all the while wondering if he could find a way to justify his son's cutting into this dance he was honored to have. Lee would never have the courage to do it by himself.