Author: stardust_20
Date: 8/12/07
Spoilers: All of season 3 (plus 1 and 2).
Warnings: None for now but the rating may change as it goes along.
Characters/pairings: Ensemble cast, Lee/Kara (eventually), OFC's.
Timeline: Story begins 8 years after season 3 ended, though it goes AU during Crossroads Part 2 before Kara returns. Tigh, Tyrol, Anders and Tory don't know they're Cylons yet either.
Word count: 3000+
Genre: Angst/romance, general.
Disclaimer: I don't own BSG in any way, shape or form, and I make no money writing these stories.
Summary: After eight long years in transit, the survivors of the holocaust hope to find their bright, shiny futures on Earth. What they do find surprises them all, particularly Lee Adama.

Cross-posted to beyond_insane and pilotgasm

Previous chapters here



~ Bright, Shiny Futures - Chapter Six

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Lee's heart fluttered nervously as though he were fifteen again and just about to ask Jennifer Bergen to the spring dance.

Kara's home was impressive. Massive in fact. It was a three-storey wood and stone house that had little jutting out windows at the second floor. Cape cod style was what it had been called back home. There were trees and flowers galore and at least the length of two pyramid courts between houses.

Kara was rich.

His heart sank down to his toes and he barely noticed the crunching of tires on the gravel as the hired car drove away. She was living the perfect life - a big home, open spaces ... the unified dream of every single person who'd lived in cramped quarters in the fleet for so many years.

He forced his feet to push forward though his hand fingered the portable phone they'd given him with an intense desire to call back the car.

He wasn't going to win this. Kara obviously had a good life here. Everything anyone could want. He couldn't ask her to give it up to be with him. What did he have to offer her? Love? She'd already shown long ago that that wasn't enough. You can't just quit Lee. You're not going to sweep her off her feet and take her away but maybe you can at least mend some fences and become friends again. That's clearly what she wants, nothing more. You've lived this long without her, you'll survive.

And as his feet moved forward with slightly more confidence, his subconscious reminded him of something he'd completely forgotten in his funk over finding Kara alive and well ... Kathryn. He flushed with embarrassment.

He was about to ascend the steps and had already steeled himself to knock at the door when voices, shrieking voices from behind the house stepped him in his tracks.

"Daaaad! You threw it too hard!"

"Try again Zach. I know you can catch it."

Lee's blood literally froze. Zach! Kara had children ... or at least a child. And she'd named him Zach.

He crept around the side of the house and hid in a clump of bushes and trees. Four people were out and about in the backyard, Kara, a man he presumed was her husband and two children, an older boy and a young girl. The males were throwing a baseball back and forth to each other while Kara and the little girl knelt down in the garden, presumably picking flowers.

Kara's warm laugh rang out and it sent chills up his spine. How he'd longed to hear it again. The little girl laughed and stood up, dress fanning out as she spun around.

"Daddy look! Forget-me-nots!" She ran to the man and he scooped her up into his arms, taking a large sniff of the blue flowers.

"They're not as pretty as you but they sure smell better." He smiled broadly and Lee could see a dimple in his chin.

"Daddy!" The little girl wrinkled her upturned nose.

The man twirled her around and dropped her to the ground gracefully. "Well you need a bath munchkin, especially after messing about in the garden with your mom."

"It's more fun when you're dirty," Kara called out, laughing as she wiped a muddy hand across her face to push the hair out of it.

"That it is," the man agreed, smiling at her.

"Dad, throw it," Zach begged. "Come on, I'm ready."

"Okay. One more throw and then you both need to come in for a bath. It's nearly bedtime." He threw the ball long and hard and while Zach tried his best to catch it, he just wasn't fast enough or tall enough.

The ball flew past him and rolled to the edge of the bushes where Lee was hiding. he crouched down and scrunched back a little further under cover. He needn't have worried. Little Zach only had eyes for his ball, searching diligently till he found it and running back to his father with a triumphant cry.

Lee's heart pounded with a ferocity it had never had before and he felt lightheaded and dizzy. The boy's face, close to his for only a few moments was a carbon copy of Lee's own when he'd been that age. The facts suddenly hit him like a punch in the gut.

Kara had had a child she'd named Zach, after his own brother.
He was approximately seven years old by his best guess, not that he'd ever had that much to do with children.
Kara had been gone eight years.
It took a child nine months - the better part of a year, to gestate.
Kara's son looked exactly like Lee himself.

The truth knocked the wind right out of him.

Zach was his son. He and Kara had a child together.

Oh frak.

* * * * * * * * * *

"Are you sure you want to?"

Michael dropped a kiss on the top of her head. "I'm sure. I'll get the kids bathed and ready and I'll call you when it's bedtime. You stay here and commune with the dirt. It looks good on you." He pecked her nose and turned and walked towards the house, Sara firmly clinging to his hand.

Kara snorted at his back, mentally thinking of things to do to get back at him for that crack about the dirt. Soon it was forgotten though as she pulled weeds and dead-headed the flowering plants. Autumn was coming quickly and the blossoms were slightly past their best - it was time for pruning.

A prickling sensation at the base of her spine made her heart beat faster. She was being watched. She'd have been a little afraid as in their secluded spot it was highly unusual for people to just be 'around' but somehow the prickle had a familiar feel as it traveled up her back and caused the hairs on the back of her neck to stand on end.

She spun around and stood. "Lee!" she blurted out, surprised that he was not more than six feet away from her. How he'd gotten so close without her hearing him ... she must have been lost in thought.

"What are you ... I mean, I didn't expect to see you," she added, wiping her dirty hands on equally dirty jeans.

"You didn't think I'd come after you gave me your address?" The words were vaguely acidic. No, not quite acidic ... more like veiled, as though he was trying to keep something a secret.

She shook her head after a moment. "I figured I'd be the one contacting you," she admitted honestly.

"Were you going to?"

Of course. I just ... wanted to let you have a little time. This is all so new and ..." she swung her arms around, as though not quite sure what to do with them. " ... you were upset. I didn't want to rush things."

She wasn't meeting his eyes. That's what she did when she was lying. Anger made him see red.

"Were you ever going to tell me?" he hissed, eyes narrowing.

Now she met them. "Tell you?" She was honestly confused for a moment. Tell him what? She only had the one secret and he couldn't possibly know ...

"That I have a son."

The colour drained from her face. "Of course."

"You're lying," he spat out, moving a step closer involuntarily.

Frak or fight - the old Lee Adama defense mechanism kicked into gear for her. She matched him, stepping forward, face suffused with anger. "I am not lying," she said evenly, a space between each word. "Zach is your son and I was going to tell you about him when I got in touch with you next week."

He stared her down but she didn't flinch. "I don't believe you."

"I guess nothing's changed," she said bitterly. "You never believed in me before."

"You never gave me reason to. I loved you Kara ..."

"But you never trusted me or believed in me. What is that kind of love worth? Frak or fight - all you wanted was the frak part."

"I did not!" Lee said heatedly through clenched teeth. There was no one around yet he was loathe to raise his voice for some reason. "You were the one who was only interested in frakking. At least when it came to me ... you obviously had no problem with commitment when it came to Sam and whomever your current husband is."

Kara just stared at him, holding his eyes till the discomfort made him look away. The flush on his cheeks rose. How was it she was able to make him feel ashamed when he was pointing out her faults?

"His name is Michael," she said softly, her words dragging his eyes back to meet hers. They were unfathomable. "Do you want to meet him?"

Lee gawked at her for a moment before realizing he needed to close his mouth. "But I just as good as told you I still have feelings for you."

"I know," she answered, a hint of amusement drawing the corners of her mouth up into a tiny smile. "It wouldn't be the first time you put your foot in your mouth Apollo."

A spike of something he couldn't quite identify shot through him. It wasn't desire or even love. Friendship? No, comfort. Happiness. Having her tease him and call him Apollo brought back certain feelings and memories that had been missing in his life this last eight years. He didn't want to lose it again, even if this was all he was going to get from her.

"Yeah," he said softly in answer to her question. "I'd like to meet him. And your kids too, if you'll let me."

"Of course," she said quickly. "But not now. It's nearly bedtime and this will throw them off completely. Zach needs his rest since it's a school day tomorrow. Meeting his father for the first time will be traumatic for him."

"We don't have to tell him yet," Lee offered.

Kara stared levelly at him. "He knows already."

"What?"

"He knows. From the time he was old enough to understand, I told him who and where his father was. He's always wished he could meet you. It's part of the prayer he says every night before bed."

Lee was dumbstruck.

"Close your mouth Apollo, before the flies head in for the night." Her eyes twinkled merrily.

He closed his mouth but his eyes were still wide as saucers.

"I uh ... I don't know what to say," he said shamefully, knowing the words sounded lame.

"You could start with 'sorry'," she suggested gently, eyes deep green in the gathering twilight.

"I'm sorry Kara. I should have believed you." He held out his hand. "Truce?"

She shook her head but took his hand nonetheless. "Nope. Friends."

Sparks flew as their eyes held each other's. Her fingers were soft and warm in his hand and he felt as though he never wanted to let go.

"Will you stay out here till I get the kids to bed? I'll come back out and get you in a little while and you can come in and meet Michael."

He nodded silently, finally letting go of her hand.

She walked two steps towards the house then turned back. "It's not too cold out is it? I could get a blanket ..."

"I'll be fine Kara. Go, your family needs you." He was proud of the fact he'd kept his voice even. The lump that had grown in his throat at the word family had been mighty hard to talk over.

"Okay," she mouthed, walking backwards a few steps as if afraid to take her eyes off him for fear he'd disappear. Finally she turned away and ran the rest of the way to the house, disappearing inside without a backward glance.

Lee wandered into the trees near the garden she'd been working in, found a fallen log and sat on it, ready to wait as long as it took for her to come back.

* * * * * * * * * *

Kara nudged Michael as he bent over Sara's soapy head. "I need to talk to you," she whispered.

He turned his head back halfway. "Give me a minute."

She nodded and withdrew, heading over to Zach's room to talk with him for a few minutes before he went to sleep.

Half an hour later she was back outside scanning the backyard for Lee who was nowhere to be seen.

"Lee," she called out softly, nerves humming at a frantic pitch. He wouldn't have left, would he? He said he'd wait ...

"Lee," she repeated, desperation hurrying her steps.

"Over here," he said, standing up and heading out into the open.

Relief flooded through her. "I thought you were gone," she whispered, swallowing noisily.

His heart did a little flip-flop. She wouldn't be so distraught at the prospect if she didn't really care ...

"I said I'd stay," he said softly, eyes holding hers. "I meant it."

She nodded. "Come inside. It's chilly now the sun's set."

"I'd noticed," he said, smiling at her back as he followed her. He felt the nerves knotting up inside his stomach. Meeting her husband was all good in theory but now that it was an imminent reality he was more nervous than he'd ever been. The old familiar jealousy began gnawing at him as well but he did his best to quell it. Give the guy a chance. Kara has good taste in men - Zak, Sam ... they were both great guys. It's not his fault you can't stand the thought of her with anyone else.

Kara ushered him into the kitchen and shut the door quickly against the cool night air. The three of them stood, he and Kara by the door and Michael on the other side of the room behind the counter. He was tall - not quite as tall as Sam but definitely nearly a head taller than he himself was. He was built differently than any man she'd been interested in (that he knew of) in that he was slimmer and much less muscular. Kara normally seemed to go for the jock types - this was something completely different for her.

She stepped forward until she was between the two men. "Michael, this is Lee Adama," she started, meeting her husband's eyes for a moment. "Lee, this is my husband, Michael Smith." She turned her head to face Lee and their eyes locked for a moment.

There was silence for about twenty seconds then Michael remembered his manners. He walked around the counter and offered his hand to Lee who took it and grasped it tightly.

"It's good to meet you Lee. I've heard a lot about you."

Lee smiled. "Then I guess you have me at a disadvantage," he said graciously, "since I didn't even know Kara was alive till six days ago."

Michael laughed. "Well come in and sit and we can get to know one another over a hot drink. Coffee?"

"Please," Lee said eagerly. "It's been wonderful discovering you have many of the same sorts of foods and drinks we were used to have back home here. I spent so many years drinking that algae-crud they called coffee that I was just about ready to give it up."

"Well this wasn't called coffee before but the first time Kara tried it she said it was a lot like what she'd known back on Caprica and she messed with the recipe till she got something that tasted right," Michael explained as he deftly poured three mugs of the dark, steaming liquid.

Lee looked at Kara. "You don't mean to say ..."

"It's not quite like home but pretty darned close," she smiled.

He took the mug Michael held out to him and sipped it. "Oh my Gods," he whispered, eyes closing in pleasure. "This is incredible."

"Come on into the living room and we can sit down."

Kara waited as the two men walked before her, each picking a seat on opposite couches. She joined them, sitting herself down on the armchair facing the fireplace, on man on each side of her.

"Let me get a fire started," Michael offered, throwing a few logs into the fireplace.

"I don't want to trouble you," Lee said.

"It's no trouble. We often have fires in the autumn evenings. Keeps the chill away."

Lee smiled tightly. Inside he was picturing Kara and Michael snuggling up on the couch him and that part of him that always felt jealous when he thought of her with another man kicked into high gear. He quashed the feelings though and concentrated on being polite. He was a guest in their home after all and flying into a jealous rage over Kara wouldn't get him anywhere useful. It certainly wouldn't get him any closer to his son.

"So Michael, you know all about me, why don't you tell me about you?" Le asked conversationally. "How long have you and Kara been together?"

"Oh, pretty much since the day she mysteriously arrived," he laughed. "It's not often an angel from heaven drops into my life. It didn't take long for me to realize she was something special and I didn't want to let her go."

Lee felt a black cloud descend over him. He fought it, knowing he had no right to feel the way he did.

"Kara told me you were married." Michael stole a glance at Lee's ringless hands. Perhaps they hadn't used rings as marriage symbols where he came from. "Has your wife been cleared to join you yet?"

Lee shifted uncomfortably, feeling the air grow cold. He glanced at Kara - her face was pale. "We're not together anymore," he said, trying to keep his voice light.

"I'm sorry. When did you split up?"

"Right after Kara disappeared." Lee saw the flash of understanding on the other man's face, then watched his eyes turn possessively towards Kara. You wanted to know, now the truth is out there.

The room was uncomfortably silent except for the crackling of the logs.

Kara stood. "I need to use the bathroom. Excuse me." She walked out without looking back at either of them.

After a beat Michael spoke. "You're still in love with her aren't you?"

~ TBC ~