Title: Acceptance
Ship: Lee/Kara
Rating: PG – PG-13
Disclaimers: It's not mine. Sadly.
Spoilers: Takes place in mid-Season 3 and is AU. In my 'verse Dee and Apollo have been over for a while and Lee and Kara have done more than just make-out in supply closets.
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Acceptance, 4/4
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Kara wakes first. Trying her best to stretch the kink from her neck, she vaguely wonders if she fell asleep in her Viper cockpit – her body certainly aches enough. As her eyes focus on the room though, and Lee's form comes into view she realizes where she is.
In snippets the previous night comes back. With a soft moan, she slumps away from Lee's warm body, curling up at the foot of the bed. It was the nightmares again, only this time she'd mistaken Lee for Leoben and demanded Kacey from him.
Kacey.
Sitting up, Kara looks for the blonde-haired child and feels her heart beat slow as she sets eyes on her, sitting on the floor by the couch, paper and colored pencils scattered around her. Casting a guilty look at Lee, who is sleeping in the most awkward position she can imagine, Kara slides off the bed and pads quietly towards the little girl.
"Morning, sweetie."
Kacey's pencil stops moving a second before she lifts her eyes to meet Kara's. There's a small crease in her forehead and Kara recognizes her look of scrutiny. Her big eyes sweep over her form before returning to her work. "Hi."
Swallowing hard past the sudden lump in her throat, Kara is afraid. She scared Kacey last night and that's the last thing she's ever wanted to do. Sitting on the end of the sofa, she watches as Kacey draws, peering over her shoulder to get a better look. As the gray-skied drawing and dark images come into view, Kara's heart pounds a bit more sharply against her rib cage.
"What are you drawing, munchkin?"
Kacey answers her in a small voice. "Home."
Closing her eyes for a moment, Kara says a silent prayer to the Gods. "Do you remember a lot?" She dreads the answer almost as much as she hates asking the question. But it seems important.
Kacey shrugs. "A little." She keeps coloring, working the point on the gray pencil in her hand almost down to a nub. As she sets it aside, she releases a small sigh and asks, "Kara, where's daddy?"
If Kara didn't know it was physically impossible she'd swear her heart had just fallen out of her chest. Clearing her throat, she wills her tears away and forces her voice steady. "Who, baby?"
When Kacey sighs this time, it's out of exasperation. Vaguely wondering how even two-year-olds manage to understand how dense adults are, Kara watches Kacey as the girl picks herself up off the floor and settles beside her. Sitting up on her knees, Kacey's eyes meet hers as she repeats her question. "Where's daddy? Did we leave him?"
Taking a deep breath, Kara opens her arms, praying the child will accept her embrace. As Kacey moves easily into her side, Kara lets out a sigh of relief. Now, the hard part. "Kace, what did your mom tell you? About that man?"
A distinct tremble shakes her small form and when Kacey speaks, her voice is even quieter than before. "Not my daddy. Kara not my mommy."
Wishing the words didn't still hurt, Kara fights down more tears. "She was right, Kacey. That man wasn't your father."
She's very quiet and Kara can't decide if her silence is a good thing. Gazing over the top of her head, her eyes settle on the drawing and Kara shivers as she recognizes so much of her own work in Kacey's image. Many of the drawings she's squirreled away are dark and depressing, full of monsters – full of the demons that still haunt her dreams.
"Kara, my mommy."
Startled slightly from her internal musings, Kara glances down to find Kacey's impossibly large eyes staring up at her. Wondering if she's misheard, Kara questions softly, "What, sweetie?"
Pulling back from her once more, Kacey rises on her knees, placing her hand over the center of Kara's chest, very close to her heart. "Kara. Mommy."
Her tears come now of their own volition and Kara is incapable of fighting them back. Shaking her head once, she whispers, "Oh, baby, I wish that were true. But I'm not your mommy."
"Yes." Kacey can be obstinate, something Kara and Lee have tried to curb to no avail. "Yes, Kara, mommy."
"Stop it." Kara knows she's perilously close to the edge and she's worried she'll pitch Kacey over it with her.
"No. Mommy!" Kacey is standing on the sofa now, her little hands balled into fists, her face flushed a shade of pink as she tries to convince Kara of the truth of her words.
"Stop saying that!" She's screaming and crying and now Kacey is screaming and crying too. Lee wakes to the cacophony, barely able to order his senses, before he finds his arms full of Kacey's weeping form.
"Lee, Lee! Mommy Kara mean!" she wails, her small arms stretching up and around Lee's neck.
As he holds her tight, his hand rubbing circles along her back, Lee glances up to find Kara sitting motionless on the sofa. Her momentary outburst is over and now she's staring straight ahead. If Lee couldn't see the small rise and fall of her chest, he'd be certain she's dead.
"Its okay, Kace. Kara's just really tired." Lee shushes her for a few more minutes, waiting until Kacey's stopped crying before trying to move.
Getting off the bed, he takes the girl over to her corner and asks, "What do you say you go and play with the Admiral today?"
Her eyes light up at the prospect and Lee's heart tears a bit as he remembers feeling a similar hope at her age at the idea of spending time with his dad. "Adma Bill?" she asks, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
Lee can't help but return the smile. "Yes, Adma Bill. Can you go brush your teeth?" As she nods and hightails it for the sink, Lee stops her and hands her some clothes. "And get dressed too, okay?"
"'Kay, Lee!"
She disappears into the small head and Lee enjoys the quiet for a moment. With a sigh, he straightens, stretching his sore shoulders and feels the twinge of pain in his left one. Of course, Kara screaming with a knife in her hand – never a good combination.
He wishes he could find it funny. Heading for the hatch, he thumbs on the comm. and calls his father. "Adama."
"Hey dad."
"Lee? What's wrong?"
Glancing over his shoulder, he sees that Kara hasn't moved and he wonders how much she's even capable of hearing. "I'll tell you later. First, I have a favor to ask."
Ten minutes later, the Admiral is at the hatch, swinging Kacey up and into his arms and making silly noises that set the girl to giggling. "Are you sure you have time?" Lee asks again, realizing how ridiculous it is to ask the Admiral of a battlestar to baby sit.
"For my princess?" Bill asks, tickling Kacey and getting more laughter from her. "Absolutely."
As he settles the child on his hip, Bill glances over Lee's shoulder to Kara's motionless form. "What can I do?"
Dropping a kiss to Kacey's forehead, Lee smiles to his father. "You're doing it. I promise to take her off your hands sooner rather than later."
Squeezing Lee's shoulder firmly, his father's only response is a nod of encouragement. Lee watches them walk away, Kacey offering him a cheery wave over the Admiral's shoulder before they turn the corner and are out of sight.
Now Lee feels tired; exhausted actually. The sleep he got the night before was not restful and his body is angry at him. Plus his shoulder smarts and while Lee has survived plenty worse, he knows he should clean it. But there are more important things.
Well, one thing more important, and she's the love of his life.
Turning slowly, Lee closes the hatch and leans against it. Arms crossed over his chest, he studies Kara's profile in silence, waiting for her to acknowledge him. The previous night's events have been running on a closed-circuit loop in his head ever since he regained consciousness and Lee cannot shake the images from his mind. It's the fear he remembers the most; the fear in Kara's eyes and the anger.
"You shouldn't make excuses for me."
Her voice is hollow and broken and Lee wonders how much it's mirroring its owner. Pushing off from the door, he slowly makes his way towards her. "I didn't," he tells her, sinking onto the arm, his feet resting on the cushions.
Sighing heavily, Kara's eyes drop to her lap. "Yes, you did. I didn't yell at Kacey because I'm tired."
Clasping his hands before him, Lee continues to watch her. "Then why did you?"
Shrugging, Kara has never looked more defeated and Lee has never felt more helpless.
"Because I'm losing my mind." The admission is more than he expected and Lee studies Kara as the words register. Her body goes limp as she sags back into the cushions, eyes closing against the world. "I can't be Kacey's mother because I'm not fit to raise a child."
"Kara." Lee slides down off the arm of the couch and onto the sofa. "There is no one better suited to be that girl's mother than you."
This comment at least gets a small snort from her. "You need sleep, Adama. You're delusional."
He refuses to let her make a joke. "I mean it." Taking a chance, Lee reaches out to her, grasping one of Kara's hands in his. He's startled by how cold she is. "Kacey loves you."
"She loved Leoben too and he was frakking toaster, so maybe a two-year-old isn't the best judge of character." The words are harsh and biting and Lee can see the toll it took for her to even say them.
"Kara, you cannot honestly be comparing yourself to Leoben."
Sighing heavily, Kara closes her eyes again, rubbing her hands hard against the lids. "We both coveted that little girl," she explains, her voice a whisper. "We both thought we had rights to her when the truth is, we didn't."
Edging forward, Lee wishes Leoben were still alive so he could kill him, painfully and repeatedly. "Kara, he lied to you about Kacey. You thought she was yours. It was a pretty logical conclusion given … well, everything." He hesitates mentioning The Farm, knowing it's a topic that's set her off in the past.
She catches him on it. "It's not your ovary they stole," she tells him bitterly. "And it wasn't logical, Lee."
She finally turns to look at him and the deadness in her gaze makes his heart hurt. "It may have been a lot of things, but it was never logical."
They keep the silence for a few minutes and Lee isn't sure what to say. He doesn't know how to help her with this and he's painfully aware of his shortcomings. He's already told Kara he loves her, already refused to leave her side when she's made it obvious he's not wanted, already begun to build a life with her and Kacey. But it's not enough or maybe it's not what she needs. But try as he might Lee cannot determine what else to do.
"That's why I killed him every chance I could." Kara's words pull Lee back to the present and he moves closer. He wonders if he's heard her correctly and so he settles in and tries to understand. "I killed him ten times. I thought maybe he'd be like a cat, ya know?" She's trying to make a joke, but her tone is mirthless. "But frakker just came right back for number ten."
Swallowing hard, Lee's brain is still wrapping itself around this revelation. "Kara? What-"
"The neck was the easiest place to get him, the most exposed." As she speaks, Kara's trembling hand graces across her own neck and Lee is mesmerized by the story and the motion. "I got him there three times at least. I broke his neck once too, pushed him down the stairs. Three other times it was a gut wound." Her hand ghosts over her stomach. "Can't remember the other ones."
"Oh Kara." Lee's voice is choked with emotion, tears he's refusing to cry so he can be strong for her. In contrast, Kara's lack of feeling frightens him. "I didn't know."
She shrugs. "I didn't want you too."
More silence and this time it's a cop out. Lee doesn't know what to say in light of this information. He wants to hold her, keep her safe, but he knows that's a childish fantasy, reinforced by ridiculous fairy tales that Kara Thrace has never believed in.
But Lee believes. He likes being the hero, the prince, the knight in shining armor. Only this time, he didn't get to vanquish the villain. He wasn't there to keep Kara safe, so maybe this is his punishment – not getting the damsel when he did nothing to aid her distress.
Shaking the thoughts away, Lee focuses back on Kara. She's staring at the ceiling lost in thoughts he's afraid are too dark for him. He wants to pull her back. "Kara, talk to me. Please."
If he didn't know how serious the conversation is, he'd think the smirk on Kara's face is genuine. "You don't want to hear what I've got to say."
Lee hates that she's right. He doesn't want to hear anymore, but this stopped being about him quite a while ago.
"Did Kacey ever-" His breath catches on the words and he has to start again. "Did Kacey ever see you? Kill Leoben?"
In a second her eyes grow hard. Sitting up straight, Kara's body is rigid with tension. "I did everything I could."
Hazel eyes shining with desperation, she turns to regard Lee. "She never –" Head in her hands, Kara murmurs, "Oh Gods."
That last time what Kacey may or may not have seen is up for debate and Kara doesn't like to think on it. Unable to sit still as the images of that day and her nightmare from the night before play unbidden through her mind, she rises on shaky legs, stumbling for a second.
"I would never let Kacey see that." Her tone is a mixture of disbelief and sorrow and Lee hates it.
Rising, he tries to take her by the shoulders, tries to offer her something, but she shoves him back easily, hitting at his left shoulder particularly hard and causing him to wince.
Frowning, Kara bites out, "When did you become such a wuss?"
Shaking his head once, Lee backs away from her, refusing to turn around and give her full view of the wound she'd inflicted the night before. He knows she doesn't remember doing it and he's afraid of what will happen when she does. "It's nothing."
Kara's head cocks to the side as she watches him, noting the way he avoids her gaze at all costs. Where as seconds before he couldn't look at her intently enough, now the floor has suddenly become interesting and the red blush to his cheeks reinforces that he's hiding something.
Working his shoulder around gingerly, Lee feels the pull of a barely healed scar and guesses it's started bleeding again. Great.
As he grimaces again, Kara's brain puts it together. More images of her rantings from the previous night. Glancing quickly to the bed, she spots the glint of silver from the decking and rushes towards it. Lifting the knife gingerly, her breath catches in her throat as she makes out dried blood caked on the blade.
Trapping her lower lip between her teeth in an effort to keep it from trembling, Kara drops the knife back to the floor with a loud clatter before burying her face in her hands. She feels her shoulders shake before she even knows she's crying.
Everything she touches, she destroys. Kara has known this to be true for quite some time. Her mother had first introduced her to the concept, pointing out with glee any and all of Kara's shortcomings at every turn. Then there'd been Zak and the colonies ending and Sam and Kacey and now, apparently, Lee. She hurt him and it's never been plainer how much she doesn't deserve him.
Lee watches her cry for a minute and then moves fast. Before she can protest his arms have wrapped around her from behind, holding her firmly against his chest. She fights him, trying to pull away, but his will is stronger. He will not let her go again.
"I hurt you," she whispers, her voice shaky as it comes between sobs.
Pressing his forehead against her shoulder, he murmurs, "I've hurt you before, but you still love me."
She tenses at his words, but Lee knows it's the truth. Kara can be strong and heroic all she wants, but he knows she's loves him. There's no other reason that she'd let him stay and help with Kacey or even hold her now. No other reason that she'd confide in him about her time on New Caprica. No other reason they can hurt each other so thoroughly and yet still come back for more.
"Lee, please." He's never heard her beg before, not really.
Turning, he brushes his lips against her neck, squeezing his eyes shut and taking a deep breath before he can get the words out. "Kara, I want you to listen to me. I love you. I've loved you for a pretty long time now and nothing that's happened before or will happen in the future is going to change that. I am staying, that's something you can count on."
He feels her body sag just a bit against him, but her mind won't let her give in. "I'll just hurt you, Lee. I can't-" She inhales a shaky breath. "I'm not strong enough to survive us imploding again."
Lee risks loosening his grip, allowing enough room to turn Kara towards him. When he's staring at her face, her hazel eyes full of unshed tears, Lee swallows hard and lays all of his cards on the table. "Kara, I know I've messed up in the past. We both have." Her eyes drop to the floor in shame, but Lee keeps going. "But I trust you."
A few tears fall at this admission, but Kara still can't face him. Reaching for one of her hands, Lee presses it over his heart and tells her again, "I trust you, Kara Thrace. Do you hear me? I trust you with my heart and with my life."
Placing his other hand over her heart, Lee tips his forehead against hers and whispers, "I love you."
A sob escapes and they stay frozen in the awkward stance for a few moments. Kara has no idea how or why, but it's obvious that Lee loves her completely. She doesn't know what she did to deserve him. She hopes she never finds out. She just wants to enjoy the fact that they've finally found their way to one another.
With a trembling hand, Kara raises her other to clasp around Lee's as it rests against her heart. Holding it firmly in place, she feels more tears slide down her cheeks as she whispers, "I trust you, Lee Adama. And Gods help us both, but I love you."
There is nothing else to say after that. Lee feels relief, but he also knows the real work has only just started. Admitting their feelings, while difficult, has never been the problem between them. It's everything that follows.
Refusing to dwell on that now, Lee leans forward instead and presses his lips to hers, tenderly, tentatively. He doesn't want to scare her away, but he has to confirm this – them.
Kara's body tenses as she feels his mouth against hers, but her reluctance is over in a minute. Instead of pulling away, she presses herself against him, moving her arms around his neck so there isn't an inch of space between them.
Lee holds her back just as tightly, arms around her waist, mouth opening to Kara's as she teases his lips with her tongue. It's been a while since Lee's felt his blood sing, felt his body respond this way, but he's not surprised. Kara has always been able to do this to him.
The kiss feels endless and too short. Forced to part for air, Kara presses her cheek against Lee's, refusing to separate from him. She needn't have worried; its obvious Lee isn't letting go.
"I'm scared." The words are whispered, a small puff of breath against his ear and he shivers slightly at the sensation. "I don't know if I can do this, Lee."
Moving his hands to cradle her face, Lee pulls back slightly and watches as more tears fall unbidden from Kara's eyes. "I don't know who I am anymore, I don't know-"
She can't continue, but Lee doesn't need her too. He knows her far too well. "Kara." His tone forces her eyes back to his and she finds her breathing easing as she meets his blue eyes. "You can do this. You can do anything, I've known that for a while now." The statement causes the side of her mouth to turn up just a tad and Lee takes it as a victory. "And if you need me, I'm here."
This time it's a real smile that lights her face. "What do you mean 'if'?" she teases before falling against him.
Laughing lightly, Lee runs his hand through her hair, smoothing it down her back before repeating the motion. "I know you can do this, Kara. But you have to believe it too."
Sighing so hard her entire body shudders, Kara is quiet for several moments, simply reveling in Lee's touch. "Keep reminding me?" she questions softly, burrowing further into his warmth.
"Always."
In the quiet that follows, Kara becomes aware that Lee's shoulder is bleeding. Doing her best to hold him tight, she's glanced her hand against the wound and can feel a thin layer of blood coating her fingers. Reluctant to pull away, she does so begrudgingly, getting a startled look from Lee.
"Sit." She points towards the couch, heading for the bathroom.
Lee grabs her wrist, the question still in his eyes. Showing him her blood-stained fingertips, Kara explains. "I can't have you bleeding all over me."
Blushing, Lee sits as she ordered, turning his back to her as she settles behind him on the couch.
She dabs at the wound, apologizing softly as the antiseptic stings it. "Kara, you really don't have to do this."
Smiling slightly, Kara can't let the moment pass. "I thought you trusted me, Adama?"
He turns sharply, glancing to her with a horrified expression until he sees the grin on her features. "You are impossible," he murmurs, stealing a quick kiss before turning front once more.
"But it's okay." She likes this banter they have; in truth, she's missed it. "Because you love me."
Sighing heavily, Lee drops his chin to his chest. "Kara."
"No, it's sweet really." She affixes the bandage over the wound and drops a kiss right above it. Resting her chin on his shoulder, she wraps her arms around his waist. "You love me. Lee Adama loves me."
"And don't you forget it."
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Kara actually feels human when she steps out of the shower. Running the towel through her short locks once more, she tosses it in a corner and reaches for her tanks and sweats.
Lee isn't here and she's glad to have the place to herself. It had seemed surreal those first few moments after she'd confessed and she needs the space. Of course, she'd had to shove Lee out the hatch with her foot firmly planted in his hindquarters. But, however reluctantly, he'd left.
Sighing, Kara shrugs her clothes on and sinks onto the sofa. Kacey's drawing finds its way into her line of sight. Reaching for it, Kara studies it closely. What she'd noticed earlier is still there – the darkness, the gray-colored sky. But, Kara hadn't seen all of it and her eyes mist as she takes note of the rest of the image. A triangle-shaped Viper sits in one corner, a blonde-haired person sitting in its open cockpit while a brown-haired, blue-eyed person stands at the bow, holding the hand of a smaller, blonde-haired child.
With a trembling hand, Kara outlines the image. Kacey had told her she was drawing her home and she'd drawn the Galactica. It had been Kara's dark thoughts which had led her to the wrong conclusion.
Kara wants to cry and yell for joy all at once. It's as if everything in her life has finally fallen into place. As if she's no longer looking at the world through a veil. Its all clear now and Kara hasn't felt this alive in months, maybe even years. Reaching the nearest phone, Kara tries to slow her racing heart as she waits for someone on deck to pick up.
"Tyrol."
"Hey Chief, it's Starbuck."
"What can I do for you, sir?"
"Where's Apollo?"
"Pilot's briefing. Do you want me to get him?"
Kara does, but she stifles the impulse. "No, Chief, it's okay. Just, ah, give him a message for me?"
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"Adma Bill?"
Bill glances up from his supply run schedules to find two big eyes meeting his over the edge of his large desk.
"Yes, sweetheart?" he asks, motioning Kacey to him.
As she rounds the desk, he notices she has a drawing in her hand. He knows she isn't really Kara's, but her fluency with art causes him pause. Kara had always managed to keep her artistic yen from him. It wasn't until after Zak's death, when he had visited her once in New Delphi that he'd become privy to Kara's talent.
A talent Kacey seems to have absorbed through pure osmosis.
As she climbs into his lap, Bill cranes his neck to meet her curious gaze. "What is it, princess?"
"Is this family?" she asks as she lifts the drawing before his face. Startled by the question, Bill focuses on the picture.
The child-like drawing with lopsided-circle-headed stick people and a jagged line meant to denote the ground confronts him.
"Well." Bill isn't sure how to answer. "Let's see. Why don't you tell me who they are?"
Settling more securely against him, Kacey narrates. "This is me an' this is you." Bill drops a soft kiss in her hair as she continues. "An' this is Lee …" There's only one person left and Bill knows who it is. "An' this is mommy."
"Your mommy isn't here anymore, Kace."
Sighing, Kacey turns her head and fixes Bill with a look of such exasperation he swears she's channeling Kara.
"No, Mommy Kara."
"Do you want Kara to be your mommy?"
With a shrug of her small shoulders, Kacey answers. "Love Kara."
"I know you do." Bill lets a few moments of quiet settle on them.
"Kara no want me."
She sounds so dejected that he has no idea how to respond except to hug her. He knows that whatever happened that morning still haunts her. "That's not true, Kace. I know Kara loves you."
Almost on cue, a knock sounds on the hatch, startling them both.
"Enter."
When Kara emerges through the door, Bill feels Kacey's body tense.
"Hey, munchkin." She's smiling and her eyes are bright and Bill can't believe how alive she looks. Lifting her hazel eyes to him, her smile deepens. "Admiral."
"Kara. How are you?"
"Much better, sir. Thank you." Her eyes go back to Kacey.
"Lee?"
Trying not to feel hurt, Kara answers, "He's working, sweetie. He'll be here in a bit."
"Said he get me." Kacey is petulant, sinking into the Admiral's arms easily.
"He'll be here." Kara watches as Kacey's eyes bore into hers. "Are you having fun with the Admiral?"
Kacey nods reluctantly, clutching the picture she was showing Bill tightly in her hand. "What have you been doing?" Kara is sitting now across from them, doing her best to keep her voice even. The last thing she wants to do is scare Kacey further.
"Drawin'." Her voice is small and she drops her eyes to the floor as she answers.
Kara can't help smiling. Some of her fondest memories both on New Caprica and in the past few months involve Kacey, paper and colored pencils.
"Why don't you show Kara your latest drawing, Kacey?" Bill prompts her and Kacey's eyes dart back to his weathered face. As if making a decision, she holds his gaze for a handful of beats and then looks back to Kara.
Still studying her intently, she easily slides off the Admiral's lap, her feet hitting the deck. She stays still for a moment, eyes never leaving Kara and then rounds the desk, standing in front of Kara's seated form.
Offering her what she hopes is a warm smile, Kara asks, "So, what'd you draw?"
"My family." It's not a question as it was before and Bill smiles watching their interaction.
"Can I see?" Kara's voice catches on the last word, but she smiles wider and powers through it as Kacey offers her the now wrinkled piece of paper.
Holding the image gingerly, as if afraid her very touch might ruin it, Kara looks at, swallowing down a swell of emotion as she recognizes the drawing. The people in the one Kacey had drawn just that morning are present once again, with the addition of another dark-haired person. Kara recognizes the triangle shape of a Viper and the trapezoid shape of a raptor. She recognizes the slant of the hangar bay doors and the bright orange jumpsuits of the Chief and Cally.
But most importantly she recognizes the two dark-haired and two blonde-haired people standing in the forefront. One of them is Kacey.
Pointing to the quartet, Kara looks back to Kacey and smiles again. "This is your family?"
Nodding, Kacey points to each person. "Me, Adma Bill, Lee an' Kara."
Tears glistening in her eyes Kara has no words. She has never felt such love for another human being before. Even what she felt for Zak and what she feels for Lee pale in comparison to the love she has for Kacey. It's as if the child can double the size of her heart with just a word or a smile. It's precious and Kara hasn't had too many precious moments in her life.
One stray tear manages to break loose and Kara wipes at it quickly, but not fast enough to avoid Kacey's intense scrutiny. Face falling, she asks, "Kara sad?"
"No baby." Kara swallows several times before she feels it's safe to talk. Placing the drawing on her lap, she reaches for Kacey's hands and squeezes them gently. "I am very happy."
Kacey's face lights up, her smile big and bright and one that Kara easily returns. Bill watches as the girl tugs at Kara's hands, bringing her to her stack of paper and colored pencils. As Kara sits beside Kacey and begins to draw, Bill can only watch them, feeling as though he's just witnessed something incredibly profound.
---- ----
Lee hurries around the last corner heading for his father's office. He hadn't meant to get so waylaid but it seems a CAG's work is never done.
Still, Kara had left word with Tyrol that she needed him to meet her and Kacey at his father's quarters. Lee feared why.
Stopping a few feet short of the door, he is confronted with his father's unreadable countenance. Approaching, he questions, "Dad?"
"Lee." Stepping away from the wall, Bill Adama turns towards Lee, clapping a hand to his shoulder and steering him back the way he's come. "I'm glad you're here."
"Kara said she needed me. Is she all right? Is Kacey?" Lee doesn't exactly know when he became worrywart, but he's fairly certain it was sometime after the worlds ended and before the second time Kara disappeared.
"They're both fine. They're actually – napping – in my quarters." There's no missing the small hint of a grin on the Admiral's face and it's an expression Lee returns.
The image can only make him smile. "So, everything's okay?"
"From where I stand." Stopping, Bill pivots towards his son and holds his gaze for a moment. "What about you?"
Releasing a sigh, Lee's smile fades as the memory of that morning comes back. He thinks about what Kara told him, about her nightmare, about all she's survived before and after Leoben and how much Kacey has healed them both.
He can only draw one conclusion. "We're going to be fine."
He sounds confident and Bill long ago fell out of the habit of disagreeing with his son. Nodding once, he tells him, "That's good enough for me." Studying Lee for a moment more, he steps aside and says, "Now, why don't you take your girls home?"
Slightly startled by the statement, Lee does a double take, before allowing another famous Apollo grin to cover his features. His girls – he could get used to that.
---- ----
Kara watches Kacey sleep, one hand gently running through the girl's curls. Years ago, Kara never would have imagined she would want a child of her own, let alone adopt one. After everything her mother had put her through, Kara's only opinion on children for most of her life had been negative.
But Kacey, of course, had changed all that. It's the one thing she can be thankful to Leoben for in some sick, demented way. She's not happy about that turn of events, but Kara doesn't dwell too much on how Kacey came to be in her life. Only that she is.
The sound of the hatch opening draws her attention from the angel before her. Turning to glance behind her, she meets Lee's smile as he steps into his father's quarters. Kara returns the grin and rises, meeting him as he closes the hatch.
Without a word between them, they embrace one another and Kara can't believe she's waited so long to have this – to have Lee. All of their arguments and disagreements and hurtful words seem ridiculous now.
"My father said you were sleeping." Lee's words are muffled, his face buried in her hair.
Not relinquishing her hold, Kara explains, "I heard him leave and couldn't get back to sleep."
Pulling away, concern has replaced Lee's smile. "Are you all right?"
Nodding, Kara leans forward and kisses him as answer. She's hesitant at first, her lips barely brushing against his; Lee's response is anything but. Holding her closer, his arms are wrapped firmly about her back, drawing her mouth to his. Kara grips his shoulders tightly, sighing against him as his tongue gently traces her lower lip. With a soft moan she opens her mouth to him and feels the familiar stirrings of passion in her gut. Gods how she loves this man.
"Kara." Her name is a sigh on his lips and Kara feels a deep need to pull him closer. She wants to make him moan her name again, but it's not the time and they both know it. Needing to breathe, they part simultaneously, foreheads resting together as they fight to get their breathing under control. With his thumbs rubbing small circles against her lower back, Lee whispers, "I love you."
"I love you." She responds easily, without hesitation. Now that she's admitted to the torture of her captivity, now that she's mended things with Kacey, she feels lighter than she has in months. And it's that lightness of spirit that allows Kara to know that happiness is not something to be feared – it's something to be celebrated.
"It's really nice to hear you say that," Lee admits with a soft chuckle.
"Then I'll keep saying it." Kara teases him easily, her teeth playfully nipping at his jaw. "I love you, Lee Adama."
He laughs again and then hisses sharply as her teeth close over his earlobe. "Love you."
He moves to kiss her again, unable to control himself in the midst of her teasing when Gaeta's familiar voice cuts through the room. "Pass the word, Captain Thrace call the flight deck. Captain Thrace call the flight deck."
Groaning, Kara drops her forehead to his shoulder and sighs. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate ship-wide comms?"
Laughing, Lee presses a kiss to her temple before reluctantly letting her go. "I'll keep it in mind."
Glancing over her shoulder to Kacey, Kara looks back to him. "Watch her? I'll take it outside. I don't want to wake her."
He nods and she leaves after one more kiss. Lee watches her go and then turns back to Kacey. He sits beside her, covering one of her small hands with his. Noticing the scattered drawings on the floor, Lee picks them up, trying to make sense of the images. For a two-and-a-half year old, she's really very talented, but Lee often relies on Kara's artistic interpretation for guidance.
Lee's pretty sure he's just made out the shape of a pyramid court when Kacey trembles at his side, a small moan escaping her lips. Dropping the picture back to the ground, he turns his attention to her as she moans again, this time crying out, "Mommy!"
Reaching for her shoulder, Lee shakes her gently. "Kacey, sweetheart, wake up. You're dreaming."
She turns away from him sharply, rolling back against the couch and still crying out for her mother. "Mommy! I need you!"
"Kacey!"
She wakes when Lee yells her name, eyes wide with fear, cheeks flushed with disorientation. Opening his arms, Lee waits for her to crawl into them as she normally does and is completely stunned when she scoots away from him. Curling herself into a ball at the other end of the sofa, she continues to cry silently.
"Kacey?" He tries to get closer, but she whimpers and so he stays where he is. "You're okay, Kacey. It was just a nightmare."
"Mommy?"
"She's not here, Kace." Lee hates having to repeat this to her over and over again. It has to be a new form of cruelty. "She died in the fire, remember?"
Kacey's only answer is to stare at him, more tears pooling her eyes and falling down her face. "Need mommy."
"I know, sweetheart." Lee reaches for her again, but she refuses to come to him. Helplessness welling in his gut, he begins to feel desperate when the hatch opens behind him and Kara reenters the room.
"Sometimes I wonder if the Chief didn't forget everything once he was-"
"Mommy!"
Kacey's cry interrupts Kara's tirade and she pauses in the hatch, watching as Kacey barrels off the sofa towards her. She's barely able to drop to her knees in time to get her arms around the child who falls sobbing against her chest. "Mommy, mommy, mommy," she keeps whimpering, large shudders wracking her body.
"It's okay, baby. You're okay." Kara soothes her as best she can, gently rubbing circles along her back. Meeting Lee's concerned gaze over the girl's head, Kara questions him silently and he shrugs.
"Did you have a nightmare?" Kara rises slowly, finding it a little difficult with her arms full, but she manages to get them both back to the sofa and sitting, Kacey in her lap.
Nodding, the girl's hold around her neck does not loosen as she answers. "You left. Kacey sad."
Realization dawns as Kacey speaks and Lee feels the smallest smile tug the corners of his mouth. Kacey hadn't been calling for her mother, she'd been calling for Kara. Apparently they had managed to repair their relationship.
"Well, it was just a dream." Kara reassures her, smiling as Kacey leans back far enough to meet her eyes.
"Promise?"
Smiling again, Kara kisses her forehead and hugs her tight. "Yes. I promise."
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