Take Your Commander to Work Day Part Four: An Ikeaverse Installment
Title: Take Your Commander to Work Day Part Four
Rating: T
Word Count: ~3000
Disclaimer: don't own them.
Summary: We meet Kara and the other students of Lexington High for the first time. The reason behind Kara's nickname is revealed, and Laura and Bill work to right the latest injustice in the school.
A/N: This is the first of a three chapter arc in honor of afrakaday's birthday. Happy Birthday!
A/N 2: Thanks to wicked_sassy for the beta. *hugs*
A/N 3: This is part of an open 'verse, which begins with " Normaling"
Laura was right. It wasn’t long before a young woman threw open the office door, then slammed it behind her.
Bill turned his head to the door and back to Laura’s face; she looked completely unfazed as she said, “Good morning, Starbuck. Dr. Baltar threw you out early today.”
Kara shook her head. “I didn’t bother going today.” Then she looked appraisingly at Bill. It reminded him of his first inspection at Basic. “Who’s the stiff?”
Bill wasn’t sure how to react, but Laura smiled. “This is Commander Bill Adama. He’s--”
“I’m Ms. Roslin’s friend.” He wasn’t sure how much Laura wanted Kara to know about them, but it really wasn’t her business.
“Nice to meet you.” Kara turned her attention back to Laura. “Can we talk?”
Laura nodded, and the student sat down. Bill sat quietly next to Kara as Laura conducted her conference. He looked around the office. The desk was bare except for her computer and the papers she’d been working on grading. There were no photos on it. There weren’t many in her condo either, he realized. Maybe it hurt too much to look at them.
There was a poster on the wall behind her chair. It was of a man kneeling in front of the flag in the middle of a battlefield. The words “Never forget” on the bottom of it. He wondered what it meant to her.
The rest of the walls were bare, but she had a sign on her door. “Work with me, people.” He had to refrain from chuckling, not wanting to interrupt the ladies during their conference. He turned his attention back to them.
Kara explained the latest injustice: They were cutting the cross country team because the coach quit suddenly. Kara was quick to explain that she didn’t care personally, but her friend Sam relied on it to stay in shape for winter basketball. Plus, he usually came home with medals at the end of big meets.
Kara looked at Bill. “You’re Zak’s dad, ain’t ya?”
Bill nodded. “Is he a friend of yours?”
“We’re pretty tight, yeah. Him, me, and Sam.”
Bill glanced at Laura, who appeared confused, then back at Kara. “Ms. Roslin mentioned you had an interesting nickname. I’d like to hear the story behind it.”
Kara smirked. “It’s a good one. You wanna tell it with me, Ms. R?”
“Why don’t you start. I’ll cut in.”
Kara nodded. “So, I was in Ms. R’s class for freshman English. There were some real brainiacs in there too. But Ms. R was good to all of us. Anyway, we had to read Moby Dick. But nobody read it-“
“Except Kara.”
“Right, except me. So Ms. R and I talked about the book by ourselves and everyone else wrote down what we said. Of course, Ms. R’s a trickster, and she made the test an essay test-“
“And Kara got the best grade in the class.”
Kara shook her head. “Look at my competition. No big deal. Anyway, one of the questions was ‘what character do you identify with the most?’ and I wrote about how Starbuck and me had a lot in common.”
“So I started calling her Starbuck.”
“And it stuck.”
“I’m guessing the other kids didn’t do too well,” Bill said.
Laura shook her head.
“No one complained, though. Ms. R made it clear that if we didn’t read the books we wouldn’t do good. She was a cool enough teacher that she could yell at us without it feeling like she hated us.”
“And everyone read the next book and did much better on the next test.”
Kara nodded. “She never even had to raise her voice.”
Bill observed their easy rapport. Laura obviously held Starbuck in high regard, and the feeling was mutual. Clearly, Kara was very intelligent, but she wasn’t willing to work with people she didn’t respect. Laura had her respect and Dr. Baltar didn’t. Bill gathered that Laura didn’t care much for him either. He made a note to learn more about that later.
“And that’s the story of how Starbuck got her name,” Laura said.
Bill nodded. “That’s a great story. Thank you for sharing.” That time, when he looked at Kara, she gave him direct eye-contact. Surely, Laura’s voucher must count for something.
“You seem like an okay guy, Old Man. You treatin’ Ms. R good?”
“I am.” He nodded solemnly.
“You’d better, or you have me to answer to.”
“Starbuck!”
“I’m sorry, Ms. R, but-“
“I know, Kara. Thank you.”
It meant a lot to him that Kara would rush to Laura’s aid if she ever needed it. The two of them were a united front; their enemies would be in a lot of trouble. Kara was athletic-and probably used to taking care of herself.
The bell rang. Kara muttered something about trying her luck in her next class. She waved at Laura and Bill. Then she was out the door. A force of nature.
Bill looked from the door to Laura. “She really cares about you.”
Laura nodded. “I know.”
“And she knows my son.”
“I didn’t realize that. I knew she mentioned a Zak, but I never knew his last name.”
“Small world.” He paused. “She seems like a good kid, if misunderstood.”
Laura smiled. “I knew you’d like her.”
“I didn’t say that.” Bill smiled.
“But you do, I know you do.”
“I like how she treats you.”
Laura sighed and looked down.
“What’s wrong?” Bill looked at her in concern.
“I can’t believe they’re getting rid of cross country.”
“Sounds like all they need’s a coach.”
“They’re too lazy to look for one.”
“Yeah?”
Laura nodded. “It’s a football school.”
“I thought the football team sucked.”
She hummed with amusement. “Yes. Doesn’t matter, though. The coach is friends with the athletic director. The team gets the biggest part of the budget.”
“How do you know that?”
“I read the yearly budget carefully.”
He nodded. “That’s not right.”
She gave him a sad smile.“Welcome to my world,” she said, before turning her attention back to her desk.
Bill’s training allowed him to be a silent observer. She’d be able to work without interruption--at least until Starbuck came back at some point that day, maybe with company.
He watched her work. With her powers of concentration and enough time, he was certain she could solve all the world’s problems. He’d brought a book with him, but Laura was more interesting than any book could be.
Suddenly, she looked up. “I’m gonna do it.”
“Do what?”
“Coach cross country.”
“Do you know anything about running?”
Laura shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll learn. The kids’ll teach me.”
Bill smiled at her. “That could work. Want an assistant coach?”
“You?”
He nodded. “I know how to get results from people.”
She put out her hand for him to shake. They’d be together in this for the good of the kids on that team. He took her hand, and they shook. Two strong pumps. That was as good as a contract for him.
Laura got to her feet. “You’ve got it, Mr. Adama. Let’s save the cross country team.” She started for the door. “You comin’?”
Bill stood up. “Where?”
“The athletic department.”
He moved to the door. “Will this work?”
She nodded. “They may be lazy. But our runners are among the best in the state. That means medals and trophies. The school needs that and they know it.”
Bill grinned. “Let’s go then, Coach Roslin.”
----------------------------
Rather than fight with the determined woman, the athletic director acted exactly as predicted-he washed his hands of the whole thing and handed the team over to her. Bill would be permitted to be the assistant coach once he was fingerprinted and underwent a background check. He promised the Navy would provide them with both by the time the week was out. In the meantime, he’d help Laura in an unofficial capacity. It was made very clear to both of them her job would be on the line if anything inappropriate happened.
They left the office shaking their heads and laughing. “I’ll have my eye on you, Bill,” she giggled.
“You’ll see me looking at you, Laura.”
“That’s Coach Roslin to you, Adama.”
“Yes, Coach.” He saluted.
“I think those kids will be happy.”
“Of course they will. You saved their team.” He paused. “Let’s stop for dinner on the way home. Celebrate.”
“That’s a good assistant.”
“Not yet.”
“That’s how I’m introducing you, Bill. You deserve that much.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
“Come on. We’re gonna be late.”
----------------------
Laura led Bill into her classroom. He sat next to her desk. The classroom had some artwork on the walls. There was one piece that caught his eye. It was an abstract, or something, of circles in blue, orange, and yellow. He didn’t understand it, but he liked it. He asked Laura about it. “Oh, Starbuck painted it for me.”
Kara was an artist, and a talented one--at least as far as he was concerned. He liked to think he had taste in art. He’d always decorated his quarters, so he’d feel more at home. He never had anything like Kara’s painting, though.
When the bell rang, her students filed in. A lanky young man entered first. Bill could feel the warmth of Laura’s smile. That must be Billy.
The student approached Laura’s desk. “Hi, Ms. Roslin. How was your weekend?”
“Hi Billy. It was wonderful.” She gestured to Bill. “This is my friend Commander Bill Adama.”
Billy put out his hand for Bill. Bill took it and gave him a firm handshake. “Commander. Does that mean you were in the Navy?”
“Yes, I just retired.”
“That’s cool, sir.” He looked back at Laura.
“Billy?” she said gently.
“Yes?”
“I’ve recently become the cross country coach. I’ll be looking for a manager if you’re interested.”
Billy’s smile was bright. “I’d like that, Ms. Roslin.”
“I know you’ll be perfect for the job.”
------------------------
The rest of the class seemed smart enough, but it was clear why Billy was Laura’s favorite. He was a whir of energy. He read everything and could answer all the questions. When Laura assigned a brief in-class writing assignment, he was the first to finish. Bill was very impressed when Billy read his writing aloud. This was a kid who would be going places.
--------------------------
Before the closing bell, there was an announcement over the PA system that the cross country team was to meet in Laura’s classroom. All of Laura’s students left the room, except Billy.
“Ms. Roslin?”
“Yes, Billy?”
“There’s no late bus today. My parents won’t be able to get me till-“
“We’ll take you home. It’s okay.”
“Thanks, Ms. R.”
The three of them sat waiting for the team to show up. Bill could see Laura tensing. “You okay?”
“I’ve never coached before.”
“Good thing you have a great assistant.” He smirked. “You’ll be great at this, just like everything else.”
Laura nodded. “Fake it till you make it, right?”
“Roll the hard six.”
The first person to enter was a surprise, although it shouldn’t have been.
“Starbuck?!”
“You did it, Ms. R! I can’t believe it! You saved the team.”
For a minute there, Bill thought Starbuck was going to hug Laura. Instead, she high fived Laura and took a seat.
“Are you on the team?” Bill asked.
Starbuck rolled her eyes. “Yeah, no. I’m just here to support Sam and Zak.”
“My son’s on the team?”
Kara shot Bill a look. “You really need to talk to your kid more.”
“Working on it,” he muttered. He couldn’t deny Kara was right, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed being called on it.
He listened as Laura said, “He just retired. He hasn’t been here long.”
“Long enough to hook up with you.”
“Starbuck!”
Bill put up his hand. “No. She’s right. I haven’t been a good father. But I’m here now. It’s a great time for father son bonding.”
Kara rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Bill was mad-but he was also glad his son had a friend willing to take up for him against his own father. Kara had a lot of character. He understood why Laura cared for her so much. They were very different women, but they both made Bill want to be a better person.
----------------
“Dad?!” Zak said as he walked in. He was clearly shocked. Bill looked at his son. He looked great.
“Hi Zak. What ya doing here?”
“Um. I go to school here. What about you, dad?”
“It’s a long story. I’m so happy to see you.”
Zak gave his dad a big hug. “Are you coaching the team or something?”
Bill nodded. “I’m the assistant coach. Ms. Roslin’s the head coach.”
“How’d you end up here?”
He was about to answer when Laura cut in, “It’s kind of a long story, like your father said. Are you free tonight? Can you join us for dinner?”
He watched his son’s eyebrows raise at “us” and “dinner.” Zak was sharp like his father and grandfather. The boy already understood their relationship. Then, he smiled. “Of course, Ms. Roslin. I’d love to have dinner with you both.”
Bill hoped they didn’t pick any one else up throughout the course of their team meeting. They didn’t have much room in the Sunfire; they’d have to take the Galactica from now on. He also thought about Billy and Kara. Maybe they’d want to have dinner with them too.
-------------------------
Kara ran to the door as two young men walked in. She hugged them both. One had a crew cut. The other had thicker longer hair. Like Bill’s when he went on shore leave.
The one with longer hair said, “I thought this was a joke. How’d you do it, Kara?”
She shrugged. “I have friends in high places. Sammy, Karl, this is Ms. R, and this is Bill Adama, Zak’s dad.”
“You’re the coaches?” Sam (the one with longer hair, as Bill noted) asked.
Laura nodded. “You must be Sam Anders. I haven’t had the pleasure.”
Sam offered his hand. “No, ma’am. Thank you for saving our team.”
Karl nodded his appreciation. “It was very good of you to do that, Ms. R, Mr. Adama.”
Laura smiled. “You’re all welcome. Let’s have a good season.”
Everyone sat down. The pair of coaches waited for the rest to trickle in. “How many are there on the team?” Laura asked.
Sam smiled. “This is it. We’re gonna have to do some recruiting.”
Laura nodded. “We need five, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Karl said.
She looked over at Billy. “How about a promotion?”
Billy nodded. From the smile on his face, Bill knew no one had ever asked him to join a team before. “I’ve never run before.”
She smiled. “That’s okay. I’ve never coached before.”
Sam clapped Billy on the back. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing to it. You’ll be in great shape by the end of the season.”
With the addition of Billy, that brought their number to four. They would still be disqualified from any meets. Just then, the classroom door opened. They looked to see a young man with curly dark hair and a dark complexion.
“Is this the cross country team meeting?” The newcomer asked.
Laura nodded. “I’m Coach Roslin, and you may have just saved the team.”
He smiled, shaking Laura’s hand. “Felix Gaeta, at your service.”
“Have a seat with the others, Felix.”
-------------------------
For the next twenty minutes, Bill listened as everyone interacted. She elected Sam as team captain. Bill could tell she already held the young man in high regard. Kara volunteered to serve as the team manager, rolling her eyes and saying she’d always gone to their stupid meets anyway. Laura graciously thanked Starbuck for her sacrifice.
The young men stayed quiet for the most part, but Bill could tell they were paying attention. Bill looked at each one. Karl, Zak, and Sam were definitely competitive runners. They’d do great. Felix would probably be a surprise contender: he didn’t look like much, but Bill knew from his Navy experience that scrawny guys could make fast runners. Billy’s progress would be the morale booster. The kid had never run a mile in his life, but he’d practice and strive to improve each day. Bill suspected Laura would want to train with Billy-likely dragging him along.
“Okay, everybody. It was nice to meet you. We’ll meet by the track tomorrow at 2:30,” Laura said.
Sam and Karl gave Laura their respects before walking out, asking Kara if she was joining them.
Kara shook her head. “I want to talk to Ms. R.”
Felix shook Laura’s hand, then Bill’s. Bill could tell he was a good kid and eager to please.
Billy stayed: Laura and Bill were his ride home. They were supposed to take Zak to dinner, and Kara wanted to stick around-maybe join them as well.
“Okay, folks, Mr. Adama and I have to take Billy home. Then we’ll go to dinner with Zak-“
Zak turned to Billy, “Would you like to join us, kid?” Then he turned to Kara, “I’m assuming you’ll be there.”
Kara smirked. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Billy nodded. “Thanks. I just have to tell my parents.”
Bill watched the interplay, as Zak smiled at Billy, then at Laura and him. He beamed at his son. Zak was a good kid. He looked over at Laura. She was clearly happy too.
“Well, alright. Call your parents, Billy, and we’ll figure out what we’re doing,” Laura said.
Billy walked to the door with his cell phone. Zak looked at his father. “You haven’t said much today, Dad.”
Bill smiled. “The lady’s in charge.”
Zak shrugged and smiled.
Next Installment
Rating: T
Word Count: ~3000
Disclaimer: don't own them.
Summary: We meet Kara and the other students of Lexington High for the first time. The reason behind Kara's nickname is revealed, and Laura and Bill work to right the latest injustice in the school.
A/N: This is the first of a three chapter arc in honor of afrakaday's birthday. Happy Birthday!
A/N 2: Thanks to wicked_sassy for the beta. *hugs*
A/N 3: This is part of an open 'verse, which begins with " Normaling"
Laura was right. It wasn’t long before a young woman threw open the office door, then slammed it behind her.
Bill turned his head to the door and back to Laura’s face; she looked completely unfazed as she said, “Good morning, Starbuck. Dr. Baltar threw you out early today.”
Kara shook her head. “I didn’t bother going today.” Then she looked appraisingly at Bill. It reminded him of his first inspection at Basic. “Who’s the stiff?”
Bill wasn’t sure how to react, but Laura smiled. “This is Commander Bill Adama. He’s--”
“I’m Ms. Roslin’s friend.” He wasn’t sure how much Laura wanted Kara to know about them, but it really wasn’t her business.
“Nice to meet you.” Kara turned her attention back to Laura. “Can we talk?”
Laura nodded, and the student sat down. Bill sat quietly next to Kara as Laura conducted her conference. He looked around the office. The desk was bare except for her computer and the papers she’d been working on grading. There were no photos on it. There weren’t many in her condo either, he realized. Maybe it hurt too much to look at them.
There was a poster on the wall behind her chair. It was of a man kneeling in front of the flag in the middle of a battlefield. The words “Never forget” on the bottom of it. He wondered what it meant to her.
The rest of the walls were bare, but she had a sign on her door. “Work with me, people.” He had to refrain from chuckling, not wanting to interrupt the ladies during their conference. He turned his attention back to them.
Kara explained the latest injustice: They were cutting the cross country team because the coach quit suddenly. Kara was quick to explain that she didn’t care personally, but her friend Sam relied on it to stay in shape for winter basketball. Plus, he usually came home with medals at the end of big meets.
Kara looked at Bill. “You’re Zak’s dad, ain’t ya?”
Bill nodded. “Is he a friend of yours?”
“We’re pretty tight, yeah. Him, me, and Sam.”
Bill glanced at Laura, who appeared confused, then back at Kara. “Ms. Roslin mentioned you had an interesting nickname. I’d like to hear the story behind it.”
Kara smirked. “It’s a good one. You wanna tell it with me, Ms. R?”
“Why don’t you start. I’ll cut in.”
Kara nodded. “So, I was in Ms. R’s class for freshman English. There were some real brainiacs in there too. But Ms. R was good to all of us. Anyway, we had to read Moby Dick. But nobody read it-“
“Except Kara.”
“Right, except me. So Ms. R and I talked about the book by ourselves and everyone else wrote down what we said. Of course, Ms. R’s a trickster, and she made the test an essay test-“
“And Kara got the best grade in the class.”
Kara shook her head. “Look at my competition. No big deal. Anyway, one of the questions was ‘what character do you identify with the most?’ and I wrote about how Starbuck and me had a lot in common.”
“So I started calling her Starbuck.”
“And it stuck.”
“I’m guessing the other kids didn’t do too well,” Bill said.
Laura shook her head.
“No one complained, though. Ms. R made it clear that if we didn’t read the books we wouldn’t do good. She was a cool enough teacher that she could yell at us without it feeling like she hated us.”
“And everyone read the next book and did much better on the next test.”
Kara nodded. “She never even had to raise her voice.”
Bill observed their easy rapport. Laura obviously held Starbuck in high regard, and the feeling was mutual. Clearly, Kara was very intelligent, but she wasn’t willing to work with people she didn’t respect. Laura had her respect and Dr. Baltar didn’t. Bill gathered that Laura didn’t care much for him either. He made a note to learn more about that later.
“And that’s the story of how Starbuck got her name,” Laura said.
Bill nodded. “That’s a great story. Thank you for sharing.” That time, when he looked at Kara, she gave him direct eye-contact. Surely, Laura’s voucher must count for something.
“You seem like an okay guy, Old Man. You treatin’ Ms. R good?”
“I am.” He nodded solemnly.
“You’d better, or you have me to answer to.”
“Starbuck!”
“I’m sorry, Ms. R, but-“
“I know, Kara. Thank you.”
It meant a lot to him that Kara would rush to Laura’s aid if she ever needed it. The two of them were a united front; their enemies would be in a lot of trouble. Kara was athletic-and probably used to taking care of herself.
The bell rang. Kara muttered something about trying her luck in her next class. She waved at Laura and Bill. Then she was out the door. A force of nature.
Bill looked from the door to Laura. “She really cares about you.”
Laura nodded. “I know.”
“And she knows my son.”
“I didn’t realize that. I knew she mentioned a Zak, but I never knew his last name.”
“Small world.” He paused. “She seems like a good kid, if misunderstood.”
Laura smiled. “I knew you’d like her.”
“I didn’t say that.” Bill smiled.
“But you do, I know you do.”
“I like how she treats you.”
Laura sighed and looked down.
“What’s wrong?” Bill looked at her in concern.
“I can’t believe they’re getting rid of cross country.”
“Sounds like all they need’s a coach.”
“They’re too lazy to look for one.”
“Yeah?”
Laura nodded. “It’s a football school.”
“I thought the football team sucked.”
She hummed with amusement. “Yes. Doesn’t matter, though. The coach is friends with the athletic director. The team gets the biggest part of the budget.”
“How do you know that?”
“I read the yearly budget carefully.”
He nodded. “That’s not right.”
She gave him a sad smile.“Welcome to my world,” she said, before turning her attention back to her desk.
Bill’s training allowed him to be a silent observer. She’d be able to work without interruption--at least until Starbuck came back at some point that day, maybe with company.
He watched her work. With her powers of concentration and enough time, he was certain she could solve all the world’s problems. He’d brought a book with him, but Laura was more interesting than any book could be.
Suddenly, she looked up. “I’m gonna do it.”
“Do what?”
“Coach cross country.”
“Do you know anything about running?”
Laura shook her head. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll learn. The kids’ll teach me.”
Bill smiled at her. “That could work. Want an assistant coach?”
“You?”
He nodded. “I know how to get results from people.”
She put out her hand for him to shake. They’d be together in this for the good of the kids on that team. He took her hand, and they shook. Two strong pumps. That was as good as a contract for him.
Laura got to her feet. “You’ve got it, Mr. Adama. Let’s save the cross country team.” She started for the door. “You comin’?”
Bill stood up. “Where?”
“The athletic department.”
He moved to the door. “Will this work?”
She nodded. “They may be lazy. But our runners are among the best in the state. That means medals and trophies. The school needs that and they know it.”
Bill grinned. “Let’s go then, Coach Roslin.”
----------------------------
Rather than fight with the determined woman, the athletic director acted exactly as predicted-he washed his hands of the whole thing and handed the team over to her. Bill would be permitted to be the assistant coach once he was fingerprinted and underwent a background check. He promised the Navy would provide them with both by the time the week was out. In the meantime, he’d help Laura in an unofficial capacity. It was made very clear to both of them her job would be on the line if anything inappropriate happened.
They left the office shaking their heads and laughing. “I’ll have my eye on you, Bill,” she giggled.
“You’ll see me looking at you, Laura.”
“That’s Coach Roslin to you, Adama.”
“Yes, Coach.” He saluted.
“I think those kids will be happy.”
“Of course they will. You saved their team.” He paused. “Let’s stop for dinner on the way home. Celebrate.”
“That’s a good assistant.”
“Not yet.”
“That’s how I’m introducing you, Bill. You deserve that much.”
He nodded. “Thank you.”
“Come on. We’re gonna be late.”
----------------------
Laura led Bill into her classroom. He sat next to her desk. The classroom had some artwork on the walls. There was one piece that caught his eye. It was an abstract, or something, of circles in blue, orange, and yellow. He didn’t understand it, but he liked it. He asked Laura about it. “Oh, Starbuck painted it for me.”
Kara was an artist, and a talented one--at least as far as he was concerned. He liked to think he had taste in art. He’d always decorated his quarters, so he’d feel more at home. He never had anything like Kara’s painting, though.
When the bell rang, her students filed in. A lanky young man entered first. Bill could feel the warmth of Laura’s smile. That must be Billy.
The student approached Laura’s desk. “Hi, Ms. Roslin. How was your weekend?”
“Hi Billy. It was wonderful.” She gestured to Bill. “This is my friend Commander Bill Adama.”
Billy put out his hand for Bill. Bill took it and gave him a firm handshake. “Commander. Does that mean you were in the Navy?”
“Yes, I just retired.”
“That’s cool, sir.” He looked back at Laura.
“Billy?” she said gently.
“Yes?”
“I’ve recently become the cross country coach. I’ll be looking for a manager if you’re interested.”
Billy’s smile was bright. “I’d like that, Ms. Roslin.”
“I know you’ll be perfect for the job.”
------------------------
The rest of the class seemed smart enough, but it was clear why Billy was Laura’s favorite. He was a whir of energy. He read everything and could answer all the questions. When Laura assigned a brief in-class writing assignment, he was the first to finish. Bill was very impressed when Billy read his writing aloud. This was a kid who would be going places.
--------------------------
Before the closing bell, there was an announcement over the PA system that the cross country team was to meet in Laura’s classroom. All of Laura’s students left the room, except Billy.
“Ms. Roslin?”
“Yes, Billy?”
“There’s no late bus today. My parents won’t be able to get me till-“
“We’ll take you home. It’s okay.”
“Thanks, Ms. R.”
The three of them sat waiting for the team to show up. Bill could see Laura tensing. “You okay?”
“I’ve never coached before.”
“Good thing you have a great assistant.” He smirked. “You’ll be great at this, just like everything else.”
Laura nodded. “Fake it till you make it, right?”
“Roll the hard six.”
The first person to enter was a surprise, although it shouldn’t have been.
“Starbuck?!”
“You did it, Ms. R! I can’t believe it! You saved the team.”
For a minute there, Bill thought Starbuck was going to hug Laura. Instead, she high fived Laura and took a seat.
“Are you on the team?” Bill asked.
Starbuck rolled her eyes. “Yeah, no. I’m just here to support Sam and Zak.”
“My son’s on the team?”
Kara shot Bill a look. “You really need to talk to your kid more.”
“Working on it,” he muttered. He couldn’t deny Kara was right, but that didn’t mean he enjoyed being called on it.
He listened as Laura said, “He just retired. He hasn’t been here long.”
“Long enough to hook up with you.”
“Starbuck!”
Bill put up his hand. “No. She’s right. I haven’t been a good father. But I’m here now. It’s a great time for father son bonding.”
Kara rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
Bill was mad-but he was also glad his son had a friend willing to take up for him against his own father. Kara had a lot of character. He understood why Laura cared for her so much. They were very different women, but they both made Bill want to be a better person.
----------------
“Dad?!” Zak said as he walked in. He was clearly shocked. Bill looked at his son. He looked great.
“Hi Zak. What ya doing here?”
“Um. I go to school here. What about you, dad?”
“It’s a long story. I’m so happy to see you.”
Zak gave his dad a big hug. “Are you coaching the team or something?”
Bill nodded. “I’m the assistant coach. Ms. Roslin’s the head coach.”
“How’d you end up here?”
He was about to answer when Laura cut in, “It’s kind of a long story, like your father said. Are you free tonight? Can you join us for dinner?”
He watched his son’s eyebrows raise at “us” and “dinner.” Zak was sharp like his father and grandfather. The boy already understood their relationship. Then, he smiled. “Of course, Ms. Roslin. I’d love to have dinner with you both.”
Bill hoped they didn’t pick any one else up throughout the course of their team meeting. They didn’t have much room in the Sunfire; they’d have to take the Galactica from now on. He also thought about Billy and Kara. Maybe they’d want to have dinner with them too.
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Kara ran to the door as two young men walked in. She hugged them both. One had a crew cut. The other had thicker longer hair. Like Bill’s when he went on shore leave.
The one with longer hair said, “I thought this was a joke. How’d you do it, Kara?”
She shrugged. “I have friends in high places. Sammy, Karl, this is Ms. R, and this is Bill Adama, Zak’s dad.”
“You’re the coaches?” Sam (the one with longer hair, as Bill noted) asked.
Laura nodded. “You must be Sam Anders. I haven’t had the pleasure.”
Sam offered his hand. “No, ma’am. Thank you for saving our team.”
Karl nodded his appreciation. “It was very good of you to do that, Ms. R, Mr. Adama.”
Laura smiled. “You’re all welcome. Let’s have a good season.”
Everyone sat down. The pair of coaches waited for the rest to trickle in. “How many are there on the team?” Laura asked.
Sam smiled. “This is it. We’re gonna have to do some recruiting.”
Laura nodded. “We need five, right?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Karl said.
She looked over at Billy. “How about a promotion?”
Billy nodded. From the smile on his face, Bill knew no one had ever asked him to join a team before. “I’ve never run before.”
She smiled. “That’s okay. I’ve never coached before.”
Sam clapped Billy on the back. “Don’t worry, there’s nothing to it. You’ll be in great shape by the end of the season.”
With the addition of Billy, that brought their number to four. They would still be disqualified from any meets. Just then, the classroom door opened. They looked to see a young man with curly dark hair and a dark complexion.
“Is this the cross country team meeting?” The newcomer asked.
Laura nodded. “I’m Coach Roslin, and you may have just saved the team.”
He smiled, shaking Laura’s hand. “Felix Gaeta, at your service.”
“Have a seat with the others, Felix.”
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For the next twenty minutes, Bill listened as everyone interacted. She elected Sam as team captain. Bill could tell she already held the young man in high regard. Kara volunteered to serve as the team manager, rolling her eyes and saying she’d always gone to their stupid meets anyway. Laura graciously thanked Starbuck for her sacrifice.
The young men stayed quiet for the most part, but Bill could tell they were paying attention. Bill looked at each one. Karl, Zak, and Sam were definitely competitive runners. They’d do great. Felix would probably be a surprise contender: he didn’t look like much, but Bill knew from his Navy experience that scrawny guys could make fast runners. Billy’s progress would be the morale booster. The kid had never run a mile in his life, but he’d practice and strive to improve each day. Bill suspected Laura would want to train with Billy-likely dragging him along.
“Okay, everybody. It was nice to meet you. We’ll meet by the track tomorrow at 2:30,” Laura said.
Sam and Karl gave Laura their respects before walking out, asking Kara if she was joining them.
Kara shook her head. “I want to talk to Ms. R.”
Felix shook Laura’s hand, then Bill’s. Bill could tell he was a good kid and eager to please.
Billy stayed: Laura and Bill were his ride home. They were supposed to take Zak to dinner, and Kara wanted to stick around-maybe join them as well.
“Okay, folks, Mr. Adama and I have to take Billy home. Then we’ll go to dinner with Zak-“
Zak turned to Billy, “Would you like to join us, kid?” Then he turned to Kara, “I’m assuming you’ll be there.”
Kara smirked. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
Billy nodded. “Thanks. I just have to tell my parents.”
Bill watched the interplay, as Zak smiled at Billy, then at Laura and him. He beamed at his son. Zak was a good kid. He looked over at Laura. She was clearly happy too.
“Well, alright. Call your parents, Billy, and we’ll figure out what we’re doing,” Laura said.
Billy walked to the door with his cell phone. Zak looked at his father. “You haven’t said much today, Dad.”
Bill smiled. “The lady’s in charge.”
Zak shrugged and smiled.
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