Author's Notes: I am so sorry it took me this much time to get the update posted to this story. Real life has been taking up so much of my time lately that fan fiction has had to descend down my list of priorities. Thanks for being patient, and here is the update, which is, sadly, the last chapter. Although, a companion story may be in the works sometime in the future. Look for further explanation after the story concludes.
Chapter Thirty-Two:
The events on Kobol seemed to bring some kind of order back to everyone's lives. At least, the most order one can find being on the run from a race of robotic life forms that want to kill you. But now, those on the run had a definite direction to go in to find Earth, and the family that had been broken when the chaos began had been brought back together, as had the fleet.
A day after their return to the Galactica, Lee and Kara walked towards the Commander's quarters, having been summoned there by the Old Man for a talk. When they came into the room, the Commander was standing behind his desk waiting for them.
"Have a seat," said Adama, motioning for them to sit on the couch.
Lee and Kara sat side-by-side, nervously waiting to hear what the Commander had to say. The latter leaned against his desk and looked at the young couple; two people he loved very much, but had been distant from for what seemed like an eternity.
"So, here we are," said Adama.
"Yeah," said Kara.
"Yes," said Lee.
"This is an awkward moment," said Adama. "I know we haven't had much of a chance to talk, but I wanted to clear the air about some things. By all rights, both of you should be in the brig right now. You Kara for stealing a military asset and deserting your post during a time of war. You lee for suborning mutiny on board my ship by arranging that little brig break for Roslin." Adama got quiet, and let those first words sink in. Lee and Kara waited patiently, but hesitantly, to hear what the Commander would say next. "But then again," continued Adama. "I guess I should be in the brig, too, for taking up arms against the civilian government. I don't think the fleet would do so well with the three of us in jail."
"The family that goes to jail together sticks together," quipped Kara.
"At least I could keep an eye on you two," said Adama.
The three of them chuckled. "You know," said Adama. "I ordered the two of you to not marry because I felt it would get in the way of your duty. It would upset the good order of this ship. But it seems that since I gave that order, it has only promoted mutiny, disobedience of orders, and chaos on this ship. If I had let the two of you marry to begin with, maybe a lot of this wouldn't have happened."
"So you are rescinding your order to annul our marriage?" asked Lee.
"No," said Adama. "What has been done can't be undone. Plus, rescinding my order would show weakness of command, and would show support for violating orders."
"But you just admitted that keeping us apart was more trouble then letting us be together," said Kara, riled and ready for a fight. "Now you're saying that our marriage is still annulled. What the frak kind of logic is that?"
"Kara, calm down," said Lee, pulling her closer to him to ease her frustration.
"I'm not finished," said Adama. "The two of you are not married. The annulment stands. But that doesn't have to stay that way."
"What do you mean?" asked Lee.
"The two of you could marry again," said Adama, with a smile. "This time, publicly and with your CO's blessing."
Kara and Lee looked at one another, then at Adama. They chuckled, and Kara got up and hugged the Old Man.
"Thank you," said Kara.
"My pleasure," said Adama. "Its about time you became my daughter. But there is a request I would like to make. Even though you're my son, Lee, I also already feel that Kara is my daughter, and since its tradition for the father of the bride to give the daughter away at the wedding…"
Kara hugged Adama again, this time with tears forming in her eyes. "I would be the proudest bride in the world, sir," said Kara. "If you would walk me down the aisle."
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Lee Adama and Kara Thrace were married once again, this time publicly in a ceremony held in the open-air park on the Rising Star. The simulated sunshine highlighted the beauty of the occasion. William Adama proudly led Kara down the aisle, and handed her over to his son. A priest conducted the ceremony, while a large audience of friends and colleagues looked on. The two of them repeated the vows they had taken before, and were officially re-married. Of course, to the beleaguered couple, they're previous marriage had never been annulled. This was simply a public pronouncement of what they already shared.
Now, two years later, the marriage that some predicted wouldn't last was still going strong, despite the continued chase from the cylons and the changes in their lives. Lee was now commanding a battlestar of his own, the Pegasus, after a series of circumstances brought him to command the ship known as "the Beast." As for Kara Thrace Adama, she was now a Major and in command of all flight training and flight activity for the fleet. She is stationed aboard the Pegasus, where most training takes place, but reports directly to the promoted Admiral William Adama, and coordinates with the CAGs of both battlestars. When the cylons show up, Kara commands the combined fighter squadrons of both ships as her husband and father-in-law commanded the two battlestars. The command quarters on the Pegasus had recently gone through the remodeling, adding an extra room for the new addition to family that arrived the day before.
Marcus William Adama was the one-day-old baby now sleeping in his mother's arms, as she lay in Galactica's sickbay. It was by chance that the baby was born there. Kara had been delivering a report to the Admiral when her water broke, and the old man led her to the sick bay with a huge smile on his face. Old crewmates of Kara's clapped and cheered as she was led to the sick bay, but she only looked at them with a scowl because of her mixture of humiliation of being seen in such a weak moment by so many, and because of the intense pain caused by her contractions. It had been hard enough for people to see her waddle around the battlestars, performing her duties right up to the baby's due date.
Kara looked at the baby in wonder, and smiled as she thought about how beautiful he is. "My perfect little man," she whispered, as she kissed his forehead gently so as not to wake him.
Lee stood at the entrance of the sick bay and just looked at them. He had to leave to check in with Pegasus CIC, but he returned as quickly as he could to be with his wife and son. But when he got back, all he could do is stare in wonder at his beautiful wife holding their son. After some time had passed, Kara looked over at the door and smiled.
"You ever gonna come in here, or you just gonna stand their like some tourist," she said.
Lee walked over, and Kara looked back and forth between her husband and son. She thought on how Lee was such a handsome man, who carried himself with a proud and self-assured bearing. Kara hoped that her son inherited those qualities from Lee, along with his other good qualities that made him the only man she has ever loved.
"What have you two been up to?" asked Lee, as he sat in the chair next to the bed, and kissed Kara gently on the lips.
"Well, little Mark is taking a nap," she said. "And I just got finished saying a prayer to the gods, thanking them for all that I have in my life." She then sniffed slightly. "Lee, you smell like cigar smoke. Are you trying to torture me, knowing I haven't had a stogie in months?"
Lee chuckled. "Sorry," said Lee. "Dad was passing them on in the CIC. You never saw a funnier sight. Him, Tigh, Gaeta, and a bunch of the bridge personnel standing around smoking cigars. The room smelled like the rec room after one of our triad games. That man is one very proud grandpa."
"I've never seen him so…well, I guess the only word I can describe is giddy," said Kara, chuckling. "Who would've thought anyone would use the word 'giddy' and William Adama's name in one sentence?"
"Yeah," said Lee. "We've got a lot to be thankful for."
"Speaking of," said Kara. "Have you said a prayer of thanks yet?"
Lee got quiet for a moment. He had never been a very religious person, although his wife had been trying to influence him to seek a stronger connection with the gods. It was one of the few pious things about her. Mostly, it hadn't worked, but on this occasion, Lee decided that a prayer would be appropriate. It just so happened he had a prayer in mind.
"You know," said Lee. "My father gave me something last night, before he left here to go to bed. My Dad and I are alike in the way that we both aren't very religious. But when I was born and Zak was born, he told me about this prayer he said to the gods on both occasions. It was one he found in one of his history books. The prayer was written by a general on the occasion of the birth of his son."
Lee pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. "The prayer is written here. Do you have your idols?"
"In the box," said Kara, pointing to the small table by the bed.
Lee took out the idols and put them on the table. He then took the baby gently from Kara, and held him in his arms as he kneeled in front of the idols. The prayer was laid out on the table by the idols. Lee looked at the prayer, then at his son, and spoke the words to the gods.
"Build me a son, O Lords of Kobol, who will be strong enough to know when he is weak, and brave enough to face himself when he is afraid; one who will be proud and unbending in honest defeat, but humble and gentle in victory."
"Build me a son whose wishes will not replace his actions, a son who will know Thee and know that to know himself is the foundation stone of knowledge. Send him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort, but in the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge. Here let him learn to stand up in the storm; here let him learn compassion for those who fall."
"Build me a son whose heart will be clear, whose goal will be high... a son who masters himself before he seeks to master others. One who will learn to laugh. yet never forget how to weep; One who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past."
"And after all these things are his, this I pray, enough sense of humor that he may always be serious, yet never take himself too seriously. Give him humility so that he may always remember the simplicity of true greatness, the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength."
"Then I, his father, will dare to whisper, 'I have not lived in vain.'"
After finishing the prayer, Lee gently placed the baby back into Kara's arms. Tears were running down her face, hearing Lee speak those beautiful words to the gods, asking them to protect and guide their son. Lee lay down on the bed next to them, and placed his arms around Kara and his hands on their son. Through all that could have gone wrong; through all that did go wrong, this little family managed to blossom in a field of trials and tribulations. Two people who once spared over a card game and challenged one another to a duel of sorts in the sky now shared a life together, secure that their love would help them beat the odds.
The End
Author's Notes:
The prayer read by Lee was an actual prayer written by U.S. General Douglas MacArthur on the occasion of the birth of his son, Arthur. Of course, I modified the part that says "Build me a son, Oh Lord" to "Lords of Kobol" to accommodate the religious differences.
I may decide to go back and fill in the gap in time between Lee's and Kara's second marriage and the birth of their son with a companion story at some later date, but as for now the story is finished. Thank you all who have read and kept up with this story. As always, feedback/reviews are welcomed and appreciated.