Unasked Blessings
Title: Unasked Blessings
Author: logopraxis
Characters: Adama, Kara, Dee, canon pairings implied
Spoilers: Unfinished Business
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1000
Summary: Two conversations, with two women who aren't quite Adama's daughters
Disclaimer: Not mine. Not making any money.
***
Unasked Blessings
***
"Morning, Starbuck," said Adama.
"Hey, boss," said Kara, ducking out from behind her locker door with a half-filled packing box in her arms. "What's up?"
"I brought you something. It's a little late, but I guess you could call it a wedding present."
She set down the box on the table, and, with a questioning look, took the sheet of paper he offered and skimmed over it quickly. It informed her of the honorable discharge of Captain Kara Thrace from the Colonial Fleet. She let out a deep breath.
"We'll miss you," he said.
She looked straight at him, face carefully set and serious. And as she moved to hug him, her voice in his ear sounded tired, relieved. "Thank you," she said.
"Don't know how we'll replace you," he said, as they broke apart.
"Kat will be a fine CAG. I'm just as glad I won't have to work with her, but she'll be good."
"And what are you going to do with yourself down there?"
"I don't know really. Sam is going to play pyramid. I want to build a cabin out in the woods. But other than that, just relax for a while, I guess?"
"Seems like everyone is building cabins these days. Roslin had the same idea."
"Well, she better not take my frakking spot. You tell her."
He grinned, "I'll tell her," and waited a beat. "Are you coming to Lee's wedding this afternoon?"
Her face went blank again, and she said, "I guess so, if I can get my packing done by then."
"Then I'll leave you to it. And I'll see you there."
"See you, boss," she said. And then he was gone.
***
"Sir!" said Dee, startled at the Admiral's knock on the frame of her open door. "Can I do something for you?"
"No, Dee," said Adama, "your only duty for today is to marry my son. I just want to talk."
"Of course, sir. Come in." Dee hastily grabbed her wedding dress off the chair where it had been draped, and lay it on the bed instead, saying, "Have a seat." Adama watched in amusement as she scrambled to clear several packing boxes, still unopened since her move to Pegasus, off the other chair.
When she had finally sat down across from him, flustered but attentive, he said, "I wanted to give you something," and started fumbling in his pocket. "It belonged to my mother. She gave it to Lee's mother when we got married. And even though that didn't work out so well -- she sent it back to me with a nasty note when we split up -- I'd like you to have it."
Dangling from his fingers was a string of emeralds, set in gleaming silver. Their sparkle was dulled and slow in the dim light of the cabin, but Dee could already see the way they would flash in the sun on New Caprica. She sat and stared as if stunned, and made no move to touch the necklace.
"Let me see you put it on," he said as he undid the clasp.
"No, sir," she said, and he looked up in surprise. "I can't take it. I-- Are you sure there isn't someone else you would rather give it to?"
"Who would you suggest?" he asked, puzzled. Or guarded. Dee couldn't tell which.
"Well... Kara, for instance." She meant to sound casual, but as soon as she said the name she knew he would see right through the pretense.
He studied her for a moment, and then said, "Kara is not marrying my son. Kara is not going to be my daughter-in-law."
Dee flushed and looked down, but then gathered her courage and met his eyes again to say, "She would have married Zak."
"And I suppose if she had, Carolanne might have given it to her then. But it's only because Zak died that we divorced, and only because we divorced that this is mine to give. And I'm giving it to you."
"What if Lee and I-- What if it doesn't work out for us either? It was your mother's. I don't want you to regret giving it when..."
"Dee, a ship is a family. You're already part of the Galactica family, and that alone would be reason to give this to you, if I only had enough to go around to the rest of the crew. But now you're joining the Adama family too. And I'll warn you right now that once you've joined, there's no escaping that. Family is forever. After today, you'll be my daughter-in-law, no matter what. I don't know what's going to happen any more than you do, but I know I won't regret giving you this."
Dee tried to speak, but her words became a stifled sob.
"Besides," Adama said, "I can't really see Kara wearing this, can you?" She smiled tightly and shook her head, still fighting back tears. "But you--" he went on, "It'll bring out your eyes."
And now she nodded, and let him walk behind her to fasten the chain. Then she got up and went to the mirror to rub the water out of her eyes and compose and arrange her face before straightening the necklace and turning around to let Adama see. He smiled.
And Lee said from the doorway, "You look beautiful," and there was something wistful in his eyes. He walked into the room to get a closer look at Dee and the necklace, and asked his father, "Is that Mom's? I didn't know you had that."
"You're lucky I found it," Adama replied. "If I hadn't, I would have had to break out your baby pictures to give her instead." Lee looked a little stricken at this idea, and Dee felt sufficiently like herself to muster a gentle smirk.
"I'll have to see those sometime," she said, rubbing a hand up and down Lee's arm.
"Well," said Adama, "I'll let you two get ready. I'll see you at the ceremony later."
He started toward the door, but Dee called, "Sir!" and he turned back to face her. "Thank you, sir," she said, as fervently as she knew how. He just nodded, and then he was gone.
***
Author: logopraxis
Characters: Adama, Kara, Dee, canon pairings implied
Spoilers: Unfinished Business
Rating: G
Word Count: ~1000
Summary: Two conversations, with two women who aren't quite Adama's daughters
Disclaimer: Not mine. Not making any money.
***
Unasked Blessings
***
"Morning, Starbuck," said Adama.
"Hey, boss," said Kara, ducking out from behind her locker door with a half-filled packing box in her arms. "What's up?"
"I brought you something. It's a little late, but I guess you could call it a wedding present."
She set down the box on the table, and, with a questioning look, took the sheet of paper he offered and skimmed over it quickly. It informed her of the honorable discharge of Captain Kara Thrace from the Colonial Fleet. She let out a deep breath.
"We'll miss you," he said.
She looked straight at him, face carefully set and serious. And as she moved to hug him, her voice in his ear sounded tired, relieved. "Thank you," she said.
"Don't know how we'll replace you," he said, as they broke apart.
"Kat will be a fine CAG. I'm just as glad I won't have to work with her, but she'll be good."
"And what are you going to do with yourself down there?"
"I don't know really. Sam is going to play pyramid. I want to build a cabin out in the woods. But other than that, just relax for a while, I guess?"
"Seems like everyone is building cabins these days. Roslin had the same idea."
"Well, she better not take my frakking spot. You tell her."
He grinned, "I'll tell her," and waited a beat. "Are you coming to Lee's wedding this afternoon?"
Her face went blank again, and she said, "I guess so, if I can get my packing done by then."
"Then I'll leave you to it. And I'll see you there."
"See you, boss," she said. And then he was gone.
***
"Sir!" said Dee, startled at the Admiral's knock on the frame of her open door. "Can I do something for you?"
"No, Dee," said Adama, "your only duty for today is to marry my son. I just want to talk."
"Of course, sir. Come in." Dee hastily grabbed her wedding dress off the chair where it had been draped, and lay it on the bed instead, saying, "Have a seat." Adama watched in amusement as she scrambled to clear several packing boxes, still unopened since her move to Pegasus, off the other chair.
When she had finally sat down across from him, flustered but attentive, he said, "I wanted to give you something," and started fumbling in his pocket. "It belonged to my mother. She gave it to Lee's mother when we got married. And even though that didn't work out so well -- she sent it back to me with a nasty note when we split up -- I'd like you to have it."
Dangling from his fingers was a string of emeralds, set in gleaming silver. Their sparkle was dulled and slow in the dim light of the cabin, but Dee could already see the way they would flash in the sun on New Caprica. She sat and stared as if stunned, and made no move to touch the necklace.
"Let me see you put it on," he said as he undid the clasp.
"No, sir," she said, and he looked up in surprise. "I can't take it. I-- Are you sure there isn't someone else you would rather give it to?"
"Who would you suggest?" he asked, puzzled. Or guarded. Dee couldn't tell which.
"Well... Kara, for instance." She meant to sound casual, but as soon as she said the name she knew he would see right through the pretense.
He studied her for a moment, and then said, "Kara is not marrying my son. Kara is not going to be my daughter-in-law."
Dee flushed and looked down, but then gathered her courage and met his eyes again to say, "She would have married Zak."
"And I suppose if she had, Carolanne might have given it to her then. But it's only because Zak died that we divorced, and only because we divorced that this is mine to give. And I'm giving it to you."
"What if Lee and I-- What if it doesn't work out for us either? It was your mother's. I don't want you to regret giving it when..."
"Dee, a ship is a family. You're already part of the Galactica family, and that alone would be reason to give this to you, if I only had enough to go around to the rest of the crew. But now you're joining the Adama family too. And I'll warn you right now that once you've joined, there's no escaping that. Family is forever. After today, you'll be my daughter-in-law, no matter what. I don't know what's going to happen any more than you do, but I know I won't regret giving you this."
Dee tried to speak, but her words became a stifled sob.
"Besides," Adama said, "I can't really see Kara wearing this, can you?" She smiled tightly and shook her head, still fighting back tears. "But you--" he went on, "It'll bring out your eyes."
And now she nodded, and let him walk behind her to fasten the chain. Then she got up and went to the mirror to rub the water out of her eyes and compose and arrange her face before straightening the necklace and turning around to let Adama see. He smiled.
And Lee said from the doorway, "You look beautiful," and there was something wistful in his eyes. He walked into the room to get a closer look at Dee and the necklace, and asked his father, "Is that Mom's? I didn't know you had that."
"You're lucky I found it," Adama replied. "If I hadn't, I would have had to break out your baby pictures to give her instead." Lee looked a little stricken at this idea, and Dee felt sufficiently like herself to muster a gentle smirk.
"I'll have to see those sometime," she said, rubbing a hand up and down Lee's arm.
"Well," said Adama, "I'll let you two get ready. I'll see you at the ceremony later."
He started toward the door, but Dee called, "Sir!" and he turned back to face her. "Thank you, sir," she said, as fervently as she knew how. He just nodded, and then he was gone.
***