Even More BSG Birthday Fic
BSG FIC Title: Boy in Blue
Author: Lucyparavel
Rating: PG at most
Setting: Twenty to twenty five years before the mini
Pairing: None, Gen fic
Summary: Little Lee Adama has a very complicated life all ready and it becomes more complicated
Warning: Not as fluffy as it sounds and not finished yet! This is just a ficlet, though there will be more eventually.
Boy in Blue
Lee had just turned six. He all ready understood far more than his parents thought he did about the arguments and the making up that fueled their marriage during their times together; as well as the long separations when his father was on duty in space. He’d learned to watch and listen closely long before that particular damp spring, always prepared for the next shift in the emotional landscape. The captain had been given a base assignment a couple of months earlier and was living with his family for more than a leave. It was strange for all of them and didn‘t seem to be getting any easier.
His parents had tucked Lee in and gone back downstairs hours before, but something had brought him awake again. The little boy lay in the dark without moving. his heart racing, until he was able to identify the noise that had woken him. The comm unit was ringing and the noise was loud in the silent, dark house. He heard the deep rumble of his father’s voice answering it and he crept out of bed and down the hall, anxious to hear what was going on. “I’ll be right there,” he heard his father say and then the clunk as he put the handset down.
His mother’s voice rose and fell, but her tones were more shrill. Lee couldn’t hear what she was saying. He could guess though. She wouldn’t be happy about anything that called her husband away so late at night. It was raining and the water hit hard against the glass of the window at the end of the hall.
“I’ll be back as soon as I can. Just go back to sleep,” his father said with a hint of impatience. He was dressed in his uniform as he opened their bedroom door. “What do you want me to do? I have to go in. One of my people needs me.” He slammed the door behind him, cutting off his wife’s response.
Lee froze, caught out in the hall. He wasn’t usually so clumsy with his spying. “What’re you doin’ out here?” his father asked kindly, squatting down in front of him.
“Bathroom,” Lee lied, thinking quickly and pointing across the hall. “Is Mom upset?“ The captain shook his head and picked him up, tossing him in the air once out of habit and then catching him. Lee clung to his shoulder as his father carried him back to his bed, feeling safe.
“Don’t worry, Lee, your mom is fine,” his father said, setting him down and pulling the blanket back over him. “It’s not morning yet. I’ll be here to have breakfast with you and your brother when you wake up. Go back to sleep.”
He wasn’t worried that his father wouldn’t come back and Mom certainly wasn‘t fine, Lee wanted to explain. There were so many other things to worry about, every day. He knew he wasn’t supposed to say that though and that his mother would be angry if he did. “Yes, sir,” he said instead, nodding.
“I’m counting on you, Lee. You’re the man of the house while I’m gone.” The instructions were familiar by now and Lee nodded seriously as his father kissed his forehead and straightened up. He lay awake listening to the rain long after he’d heard the car rumble away down the street, worried about his baby brother and his mother, who was probably still upset, and wondering angrily what was so important at the base.
In the morning, he got up and looked for his father in the kitchen. It was Saturday and sometimes he made the family breakfast when he was home. No one was there. His mother was sleeping still, so Lee got Zak out of his crib when he heard him fussing and held his hand on the way back downstairs. He found a box of cereal in the pantry, after pulling a chair over so he could reach, and took it out to the TV with them.
He gave Zak a handful of the little circles and ate himself, turning on his favorite cartoon. “No crumbs on the rug,” he reminded Zak who was still little after all. “Or we’ll get in trouble.”
It wasn’t long before he heard his father’s car pull up out front. Pleased, Lee ran to the sofa and scrambled up and stood on it so he could see out the window behind it. His father got out of the car, but then headed around to the passenger side instead of towards the front door. Lee frowned, puzzled, and then pressed his face against the glass to see better. He’d lifted another kid out of the front seat. A little girl, by her clothes and hair. He was carrying her like he did Lee and Zak!
Furious in a way he couldn’t explain, Lee glared at her. Who was she and what was she doing at their house? There was something funny about her though, he noticed. She was hurt, arm wrapped up in bulky bandages and one side of her face.
.
Adama carried her inside and smiled at Lee and Zak. “Hello, boys, I’ve brought you a new friend. This is Kara and she’ll be staying with us this weekend. Her mom is---on duty. I expect both of you to be good hosts. You got me?”
Lee slid down hastily so he was sitting on the couch and nodded. “Yes, sir,” he said automatically. He had a million questions and doubted his father would answer any of them. He watched as he sat the little girl-Kara-down on one of arm chairs. Maybe she would tell him more. She was smaller than him and most of the girls in his class at school, though not by a lot. Lee wondered how old she was. Kara looked around and didn’t say a word.
“These are my boys--Lee and the little one is Zak,” the captain explained to Kara, his expression worried. He sat a bag on the carpet and handed Kara a stuffed cat. Lee noticed it was hard for her to hold the toy, but she hugged it to her chest anyway.
“Daddy,” he said, getting up and tugging at his father’s sleeve. “Mom’s still sleeping. Are you gonna make us breakfast?”
“In a little while,” he replied. “I need to talk to your mother. You can have more cereal for now.” Lee knew his father was distracted when he gave permission to continue eating in the living room. He wasn’t surprised when he left the room right away and went upstairs.
“Want some cereal?” he asked Kara, giving Zak another handful and trying to ignore how sticky his little brother’s hands were. She shook her head.
“Like this show?” he asked, waving at the screen. She blinked and shrugged.
“How old’re you? I’m six and Zak is two,” he tried next. “Do you go to school on base?”
Kara just watched him and didn’t answer. She seemed to understand.
Lee frowned in frustration. “What happened to you?” he asked. Kara looked away from him and concentrated on the show, clearly tuning him out.
Upstairs, the sound of his parents’ voices could be heard. Lee needed to know what was going on, so he went quickly to the bend in the stairs. He could usually hear a lot from this spot on the landing.
“She’s in jail for now,” he heard his father saying. “There’ll be a base hearing Monday. Just till then, Caroleanne. Come down and meet her. She’s younger than Lee, only four! There’s no way I was gonna let them take her. Gods know what would have happened to her.”
There was a pause as his mother’s higher voice spoke. Lee heard her say, “We’re your responsibility, Bill, your family, not your damn squadron!” and felt a twisting pressure start to build in his stomach. He wasn’t sure what was happening. He understood his mother was upset and that made him anxious. She said more, but she was harder to understand than his dad.
“She’s--my people and I didn’t even know--I am responsible,” his father rumbled. Lee could only catch some of what he said, he sounded further away. “The boys are hungry and waiting for us.” He was moving out of their bedroom now. Lee turned to run back to the living room and saw the strange girl hovering at the foot of the stairs. He jerked back from her and then pointed the way as they hurried out of sight.
“Don’t worry, my dad says you’re staying,” he told her and felt pleased when she gave him a tentative smile. They were settled innocently in front of the cartoons with Zak when his father strode through on his way to the kitchen.