BSG Fic : Long Time Coming (9/17)
Title : Long Time Coming
Author : Helen C.
Rating : PG-13
Summary : It was the only visible scar still left over by Baltar's trial, now that President Roslin was dead; Apollo's absence and the Admiral's obvious weariness.
Fandom : BSG
Spoilers : Everything aired so far is fair game.
Disclaimer : The characters and the universe were created and are owned by Ronald D. Moore and Universal Television Studios to name but a few. No money is being made. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
AN. Goes AU between the verdict and the Cylon attack in Crossroads II.
AN2. Eternal gratitude to joey51 for beta'ing this! As usual, I tinkered. All remaining mistakes are mine.
PART TWO
Chapter Eight
Today
Bill couldn't tear his eyes away from his granddaughter, even though he was listening to the other child.
The girl's eyes were Lee's and once again, Bill missed his son with an intensity that didn't seem to wane as time went by.
The last time he had seen Laura, she had been only a few months old. He felt a pang of regret. He had missed his sons' childhoods and it seemed like he wasn't doing much better with his grandkids.
What did you expect? Did you really think that he was going to stop living until you came to your senses? Did you think that life wouldn't go on? Have you learned so little?
"Our parents always said that if something happened to both of them, we had to get to one of the military ships and ask to see you, Sir," the boy was explaining. Mark. Lee and his wife had adopted him about a year ago. That bit of news had been in the last note Bill had received from Lee. When he had failed to answer, his son had given up.
Mark went on, looking small on the sickbay bed where he had been settled. "They said we couldn't wait at home, but we had to come right here."
Cottle patted Laura's shoulder and smiled a grandfatherly smile at her. "They're both fine," he told Bill. "A little agitated, but that's to be expected." He hovered a moment. "I see no reason to keep them here," he said. "I could assign some of my personnel to keep an eye on them, but-"
"Helo is making arrangements so they can come to my quarters," Bill replied, agreeing with what Cottle wasn't saying. Sickbay was no place for kids, not even for a night. "Give me a couple of hours to take care of some things and someone will come and get them."
Cottle nodded and stepped out, leaving Bill alone with the kids. He knew Racetrack was hovering a few feet behind him, her presence reassuring the kids without interfering with his questions.
Both his grandchildren were watching him a little warily and it suddenly dawned on Bill what a leap of faith his son had made. He didn't doubt that Lee and his wife had friends, many of whom would probably be happy to care for the kids for a while. But their first plan had been to call to him, despite the fact that they had been at odds for years.
They had trusted their children to a grandfather who had never taken the time to get to know them, hoping he'd make sure they were safe.
"They didn't come home," Mark added, looking near tears but too stubborn to cry. "They're always home when school ends, at least one of them. So, we didn't go in, and we saw men we didn't know come out."
Racetrack exchanged a worried glance with Bill. That didn't sound good at all.
"So, we looked for a military ship. And we recognized one of the pilots. Lee sometimes talks with her."
Bill looked at Racetrack, who ducked her head. He was a little surprised; he knew most of the crew had seen Lee resigning his commission to be Baltar's lawyer as a betrayal, and maybe they hadn't taken it as personally as Bill had, but it was still odd to learn now that Lee still talked to some of them.
Mark was waiting for him to say or do something, so Bill focussed on him again. "Did something unusual happen, recently?"
Mark considered the question with a frown before saying, "No. Well, Laura's godfather was killed. He was a friend of Sammie."
"When was it?" Racetrack asked.
"Two weeks ago." Mark looked down, then faced Bill with a pleading look. "Are you going to find them?"
He smiled. "Yes," he said.
*
Bill paced the length of his quarters, pondering the situation.
He tried to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach-it would be very like Lee to start investigating the death of that man, but he might also have been snatched by people without any good reason. Gods knew there were many people with adjustment problems on the fleet these days.
He had to consider both possibilities, because if he didn't, and he made a mistake… well, he didn't want to think about what would happen to Lee and his wife if they weren't found soon. Damn, he didn't want to think about what was happening to Lee now.
Tigh was watching him in silence, his face revealing nothing. "What's the plan?" he eventually asked, like he'd ask what was for diner. Not that Bill blamed him. He knew that his XO and Lee had never seen eye to eye, and their general animosity had turned to outward hostility after the mutiny. And then, of course, had come the trial, and Saul's testimony that had damn near broken him.
"Admiral?"
Bill sighed, knowing that Saul was also reminding him that decisions needed to be made, and that he needed a cool head to make them.
Regardless of the reasons behind Lee's disappearance, there were only two options. He could either order Marines to barge in on the Orion and tear the place apart until they found his son-a frighteningly appealing option-or he could send over people dressed as civilians and tell them to ask questions, discreetly, just as he had done for the sabotages.
He knew which option he preferred, but he also knew that it was the most risky one and he wasn't ready to risk his son's life if he could avoid it.
"Admiral?"
He sighed. "Send people over to the Orion. Tell them to ask questions." Tell them to be careful.
Saul nodded, understanding, and got to his feet.
"In the meantime," Bill said, "I'll call the President."
Saul gave a wry smile before leaving. "Good luck with that."
In truth, Bill and Ripley's relationship wasn't so bad. It wasn't much of anything at all, actually. Roslin had enjoyed arguing with Bill, and with time, their friendship had grown strong. Maybe he was still feeling her loss, but for the most part, he wasn't overly impressed by their new President so far. Ripley got things done, but that was about it. He never seemed to have an opinion on anything, never seemed to be able to make a decision that wasn't pre-approved by his staff.
Bill knew that Ripley had been a friend of Roslin-that was part of the reason why he had won the election, her support still weighing strongly in the balance, even from her deathbed-but he had no intention of allowing himself to grow as close to him as he had to Roslin.
Despite the late hour, the president's voice was alert when he took the call. "Yes, Admiral?" he asked.
Bill knew then that Ripley had already heard about what had happened. He took it from the beginning anyway, knowing that facts were always better than what Ripley might have heard through the grapevine. "As you may have heard, Lee's kids arrived on board today. It seems that Lee and his wife disappeared."
Ripley's tone betrayed no surprise. "How are you?" he asked first.
Bill closed his eyes. That would have been Laura's first question as well. He tried to keep his mind on the situation at hand. Lee was fine. He had to be. He may be a civilian now, but he had still trained as a soldier and Bill didn't think he would have allowed himself to grow out of practice at defending himself. "Fine," he said. "I'm going to send over some of my men on the Orion."
And I really hope you're not going to overrule me on this one, he thought. Because this is my son we're talking about, and for him, I wouldn't be above staging another military coup.
"We have a civilian police force," Ripley reminded him in a neutral tone.
"Yes, Sir, I'm well aware of that. But Lee still knows too many sensitive things about the military structure and the Galactica to-"
The President cut him off. "Okay."
Bill stopped, teeth clenched. He couldn't possibly have convinced Ripley with that argument-hell, after five years, all Lee had once known was outdated by several changes in security protocol. But apparently, the President wasn't going to call him on it.
"Thank you, Sir," he said. Ripley could have made his life difficult if he had wanted to, and maybe he would if results didn't turn up soon enough for his liking, but for now, some leeway was really all Bill could hope for.
"Good hunting," Ripley replied, and hung up before Bill could add anything.
He set the phone down and turned to find his XO standing there. "Here's a list of the people I'm going to send," Saul said without preamble.
Bill scanned the list in silence, nodding at the names-most of them pilots, and frequently seen on the Orion between patrols and training sessions. No one would think twice about seeing them now.
"Send a few of them over and tell them to behave as they normally would," he said. "Play pool, drink, I don't care. No questions."
Saul nodded without comment.
"Tell two or three of them to blend in and ask questions," Bill added, handing the list back. "And send someone to talk to Lee's friends; start with Romo Lampkin, he'll know who else to talk to. Maybe they'll remember something."
Saul lingered and Bill's fists clenched, knowing what his next question would be. "Do you think they're still alive?"
"We didn't find bodies," Bill replied sharply.
"Not yet."
Bill stared at his friend, who stared right back at him, unimpressed. "Right," Saul eventually said. "I'll go."
Bill waited until he was gone to sit behind his desk and fetch the notes from the book where he kept them hidden. He didn't know why he felt the need to be so secretive about these letters. He was sure that at least some of his men knew he and Lee had been in contact until a few months ago-they hadn't made it a secret-and that others must suspect.
The first of the letters he had received, just after the trial, was a short, "Just so you know, I'm staying on the Orion for a while. Lee."
He had seen his son a few times after that-strained meetings, usually cut short by whichever emergency Bill had to deal with that day.
The second was dated from almost two years later; it was a formal invitation to Lee and Samantha's wedding. Bill had planned to go, but something had come up, he couldn't even remember what, and he had spent the better part of a week cleaning up the subsequent mess.
The third was another hand written note, that he had received about six months after the wedding. "Dad, I just thought you should know, Sam and I have just become parents. Her name's Laura. We're still on the Orion, if you want to come over. Your son, Lee."
Bill had gone visit them a few times. He usually found Lee and Samantha with lines of fatigue on their faces, but they were obviously happy together. Things between Lee and him didn't get any better during these visits, though-and then, there was that fight about President Roslin, that ended up being their worst-and their last.
It was Bill's fault, he knew. He should have contacted Lee once he calmed down, apologized for jumping to conclusions.
But you were ashamed.
He closed his eyes, remembering how pale his son had looked as Bill stepped out of his quarters, and of his life.
You were grieving for Laura and you lashed out at him, because he's family and he was the only one you could lose your calm with. Too bad your relationship wasn't solid enough to stand the pressure, isn't it?
Had Lee understood why Bill had acted that way?
Probably not.
And you were too proud to admit that you had given in to your emotions that much. Too damn proud to apologize.
The last note had arrived a little over a year earlier. "Dad, Sam and I just adopted a kid. He's nine, his name's Mark. Lee."
Short and to the point.
Had his son expected him to come by, then, or had he just wanted Bill to know, in case something happened to him and his wife? It was impossible to say from the terse wording.
Sighing, Bill put the letters back in their hiding place and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
He badly wanted to go to the Orion himself and tear the place apart with his bare hands if need be, but it would be counterproductive at best, dangerous for everyone at worst. His face was well-known, too much so to enable him to do that kind of work anymore.
He hadn't survived until now by making impulsive decisions so he allowed the commander to take the helm, forcing the father into the backseat.
Like you always do.
Yes, maybe sometimes it had been a mistake.
This time, it wasn't. He wouldn't risk Lee's life because he couldn't control himself.
You're a solider. Think like one. Act like one.
Time for him to take his own advice.
The thought of sitting by while others looked for his son didn't please him, but there wasn't much else he could do.
Maybe, if they had been closer, Lee would have confided in him if he had noticed that something was wrong.
Maybe, if they had been closer, Lee would have brought his whole family on board before things went this far.
Then again, knowing Lee, that was doubtful. Lee wasn't the kind of man to hide or to ask for help, under any circumstance.
I'm sorry, son. I taught you that, and I'm sorry.
Well, if he couldn't do anything for his son, maybe he could help his grandchildren. It was high time to go fetch them from sickbay. One of the fleet's caretakers would be aboard soon; marines were already posted outside his quarters. He would keep these children safe until their parents were back.
Bill got to his feet with a renewed sense of purpose, decided to make things right for at least part of his family.
Chapter 9
Author : Helen C.
Rating : PG-13
Summary : It was the only visible scar still left over by Baltar's trial, now that President Roslin was dead; Apollo's absence and the Admiral's obvious weariness.
Fandom : BSG
Spoilers : Everything aired so far is fair game.
Disclaimer : The characters and the universe were created and are owned by Ronald D. Moore and Universal Television Studios to name but a few. No money is being made. No copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
AN. Goes AU between the verdict and the Cylon attack in Crossroads II.
AN2. Eternal gratitude to joey51 for beta'ing this! As usual, I tinkered. All remaining mistakes are mine.
PART TWO
Chapter Eight
Today
Bill couldn't tear his eyes away from his granddaughter, even though he was listening to the other child.
The girl's eyes were Lee's and once again, Bill missed his son with an intensity that didn't seem to wane as time went by.
The last time he had seen Laura, she had been only a few months old. He felt a pang of regret. He had missed his sons' childhoods and it seemed like he wasn't doing much better with his grandkids.
What did you expect? Did you really think that he was going to stop living until you came to your senses? Did you think that life wouldn't go on? Have you learned so little?
"Our parents always said that if something happened to both of them, we had to get to one of the military ships and ask to see you, Sir," the boy was explaining. Mark. Lee and his wife had adopted him about a year ago. That bit of news had been in the last note Bill had received from Lee. When he had failed to answer, his son had given up.
Mark went on, looking small on the sickbay bed where he had been settled. "They said we couldn't wait at home, but we had to come right here."
Cottle patted Laura's shoulder and smiled a grandfatherly smile at her. "They're both fine," he told Bill. "A little agitated, but that's to be expected." He hovered a moment. "I see no reason to keep them here," he said. "I could assign some of my personnel to keep an eye on them, but-"
"Helo is making arrangements so they can come to my quarters," Bill replied, agreeing with what Cottle wasn't saying. Sickbay was no place for kids, not even for a night. "Give me a couple of hours to take care of some things and someone will come and get them."
Cottle nodded and stepped out, leaving Bill alone with the kids. He knew Racetrack was hovering a few feet behind him, her presence reassuring the kids without interfering with his questions.
Both his grandchildren were watching him a little warily and it suddenly dawned on Bill what a leap of faith his son had made. He didn't doubt that Lee and his wife had friends, many of whom would probably be happy to care for the kids for a while. But their first plan had been to call to him, despite the fact that they had been at odds for years.
They had trusted their children to a grandfather who had never taken the time to get to know them, hoping he'd make sure they were safe.
"They didn't come home," Mark added, looking near tears but too stubborn to cry. "They're always home when school ends, at least one of them. So, we didn't go in, and we saw men we didn't know come out."
Racetrack exchanged a worried glance with Bill. That didn't sound good at all.
"So, we looked for a military ship. And we recognized one of the pilots. Lee sometimes talks with her."
Bill looked at Racetrack, who ducked her head. He was a little surprised; he knew most of the crew had seen Lee resigning his commission to be Baltar's lawyer as a betrayal, and maybe they hadn't taken it as personally as Bill had, but it was still odd to learn now that Lee still talked to some of them.
Mark was waiting for him to say or do something, so Bill focussed on him again. "Did something unusual happen, recently?"
Mark considered the question with a frown before saying, "No. Well, Laura's godfather was killed. He was a friend of Sammie."
"When was it?" Racetrack asked.
"Two weeks ago." Mark looked down, then faced Bill with a pleading look. "Are you going to find them?"
He smiled. "Yes," he said.
*
Bill paced the length of his quarters, pondering the situation.
He tried to ignore the sick feeling in his stomach-it would be very like Lee to start investigating the death of that man, but he might also have been snatched by people without any good reason. Gods knew there were many people with adjustment problems on the fleet these days.
He had to consider both possibilities, because if he didn't, and he made a mistake… well, he didn't want to think about what would happen to Lee and his wife if they weren't found soon. Damn, he didn't want to think about what was happening to Lee now.
Tigh was watching him in silence, his face revealing nothing. "What's the plan?" he eventually asked, like he'd ask what was for diner. Not that Bill blamed him. He knew that his XO and Lee had never seen eye to eye, and their general animosity had turned to outward hostility after the mutiny. And then, of course, had come the trial, and Saul's testimony that had damn near broken him.
"Admiral?"
Bill sighed, knowing that Saul was also reminding him that decisions needed to be made, and that he needed a cool head to make them.
Regardless of the reasons behind Lee's disappearance, there were only two options. He could either order Marines to barge in on the Orion and tear the place apart until they found his son-a frighteningly appealing option-or he could send over people dressed as civilians and tell them to ask questions, discreetly, just as he had done for the sabotages.
He knew which option he preferred, but he also knew that it was the most risky one and he wasn't ready to risk his son's life if he could avoid it.
"Admiral?"
He sighed. "Send people over to the Orion. Tell them to ask questions." Tell them to be careful.
Saul nodded, understanding, and got to his feet.
"In the meantime," Bill said, "I'll call the President."
Saul gave a wry smile before leaving. "Good luck with that."
In truth, Bill and Ripley's relationship wasn't so bad. It wasn't much of anything at all, actually. Roslin had enjoyed arguing with Bill, and with time, their friendship had grown strong. Maybe he was still feeling her loss, but for the most part, he wasn't overly impressed by their new President so far. Ripley got things done, but that was about it. He never seemed to have an opinion on anything, never seemed to be able to make a decision that wasn't pre-approved by his staff.
Bill knew that Ripley had been a friend of Roslin-that was part of the reason why he had won the election, her support still weighing strongly in the balance, even from her deathbed-but he had no intention of allowing himself to grow as close to him as he had to Roslin.
Despite the late hour, the president's voice was alert when he took the call. "Yes, Admiral?" he asked.
Bill knew then that Ripley had already heard about what had happened. He took it from the beginning anyway, knowing that facts were always better than what Ripley might have heard through the grapevine. "As you may have heard, Lee's kids arrived on board today. It seems that Lee and his wife disappeared."
Ripley's tone betrayed no surprise. "How are you?" he asked first.
Bill closed his eyes. That would have been Laura's first question as well. He tried to keep his mind on the situation at hand. Lee was fine. He had to be. He may be a civilian now, but he had still trained as a soldier and Bill didn't think he would have allowed himself to grow out of practice at defending himself. "Fine," he said. "I'm going to send over some of my men on the Orion."
And I really hope you're not going to overrule me on this one, he thought. Because this is my son we're talking about, and for him, I wouldn't be above staging another military coup.
"We have a civilian police force," Ripley reminded him in a neutral tone.
"Yes, Sir, I'm well aware of that. But Lee still knows too many sensitive things about the military structure and the Galactica to-"
The President cut him off. "Okay."
Bill stopped, teeth clenched. He couldn't possibly have convinced Ripley with that argument-hell, after five years, all Lee had once known was outdated by several changes in security protocol. But apparently, the President wasn't going to call him on it.
"Thank you, Sir," he said. Ripley could have made his life difficult if he had wanted to, and maybe he would if results didn't turn up soon enough for his liking, but for now, some leeway was really all Bill could hope for.
"Good hunting," Ripley replied, and hung up before Bill could add anything.
He set the phone down and turned to find his XO standing there. "Here's a list of the people I'm going to send," Saul said without preamble.
Bill scanned the list in silence, nodding at the names-most of them pilots, and frequently seen on the Orion between patrols and training sessions. No one would think twice about seeing them now.
"Send a few of them over and tell them to behave as they normally would," he said. "Play pool, drink, I don't care. No questions."
Saul nodded without comment.
"Tell two or three of them to blend in and ask questions," Bill added, handing the list back. "And send someone to talk to Lee's friends; start with Romo Lampkin, he'll know who else to talk to. Maybe they'll remember something."
Saul lingered and Bill's fists clenched, knowing what his next question would be. "Do you think they're still alive?"
"We didn't find bodies," Bill replied sharply.
"Not yet."
Bill stared at his friend, who stared right back at him, unimpressed. "Right," Saul eventually said. "I'll go."
Bill waited until he was gone to sit behind his desk and fetch the notes from the book where he kept them hidden. He didn't know why he felt the need to be so secretive about these letters. He was sure that at least some of his men knew he and Lee had been in contact until a few months ago-they hadn't made it a secret-and that others must suspect.
The first of the letters he had received, just after the trial, was a short, "Just so you know, I'm staying on the Orion for a while. Lee."
He had seen his son a few times after that-strained meetings, usually cut short by whichever emergency Bill had to deal with that day.
The second was dated from almost two years later; it was a formal invitation to Lee and Samantha's wedding. Bill had planned to go, but something had come up, he couldn't even remember what, and he had spent the better part of a week cleaning up the subsequent mess.
The third was another hand written note, that he had received about six months after the wedding. "Dad, I just thought you should know, Sam and I have just become parents. Her name's Laura. We're still on the Orion, if you want to come over. Your son, Lee."
Bill had gone visit them a few times. He usually found Lee and Samantha with lines of fatigue on their faces, but they were obviously happy together. Things between Lee and him didn't get any better during these visits, though-and then, there was that fight about President Roslin, that ended up being their worst-and their last.
It was Bill's fault, he knew. He should have contacted Lee once he calmed down, apologized for jumping to conclusions.
But you were ashamed.
He closed his eyes, remembering how pale his son had looked as Bill stepped out of his quarters, and of his life.
You were grieving for Laura and you lashed out at him, because he's family and he was the only one you could lose your calm with. Too bad your relationship wasn't solid enough to stand the pressure, isn't it?
Had Lee understood why Bill had acted that way?
Probably not.
And you were too proud to admit that you had given in to your emotions that much. Too damn proud to apologize.
The last note had arrived a little over a year earlier. "Dad, Sam and I just adopted a kid. He's nine, his name's Mark. Lee."
Short and to the point.
Had his son expected him to come by, then, or had he just wanted Bill to know, in case something happened to him and his wife? It was impossible to say from the terse wording.
Sighing, Bill put the letters back in their hiding place and rubbed his eyes tiredly.
He badly wanted to go to the Orion himself and tear the place apart with his bare hands if need be, but it would be counterproductive at best, dangerous for everyone at worst. His face was well-known, too much so to enable him to do that kind of work anymore.
He hadn't survived until now by making impulsive decisions so he allowed the commander to take the helm, forcing the father into the backseat.
Like you always do.
Yes, maybe sometimes it had been a mistake.
This time, it wasn't. He wouldn't risk Lee's life because he couldn't control himself.
You're a solider. Think like one. Act like one.
Time for him to take his own advice.
The thought of sitting by while others looked for his son didn't please him, but there wasn't much else he could do.
Maybe, if they had been closer, Lee would have confided in him if he had noticed that something was wrong.
Maybe, if they had been closer, Lee would have brought his whole family on board before things went this far.
Then again, knowing Lee, that was doubtful. Lee wasn't the kind of man to hide or to ask for help, under any circumstance.
I'm sorry, son. I taught you that, and I'm sorry.
Well, if he couldn't do anything for his son, maybe he could help his grandchildren. It was high time to go fetch them from sickbay. One of the fleet's caretakers would be aboard soon; marines were already posted outside his quarters. He would keep these children safe until their parents were back.
Bill got to his feet with a renewed sense of purpose, decided to make things right for at least part of his family.
Chapter 9