Wedding Bell Blues - Chapter 2
Title: Wedding Bell Blues - Chapter 2
Author: afrakaday
Word Count: 1570
Rating: T
A/N: Chapter 2 of the final installation of the Astral Planes series. Chapter 1 has links to the first three parts of the series. Thanks as always to nixmom for the beta. Includes the "diplomacy is the best strategy" prompt.
Lee looked up when Bill reached the landing. “Hi.” He stood awkwardly with his hands clasped before him, apparently waiting for an “at ease” instruction.
“Lee. I’m glad to see you,” Bill said.
“I wasn’t sure you would be. We haven’t talked--”
“No, I’m happy you came. I’d like for you to get to know Laura.” Bill held out his right hand, and when Lee took it, draped his free arm over Lee’s shoulder and clapped him twice on the back. “You are always welcome here. Always. I mean that.” Bill eased down onto the couch and gestured for Lee to join him. “So. What’s going on?”
Lee shifted uncomfortably in the corner of the couch. “For one thing, I’ve decided to leave the Fleet. My five years of service are up next month. I’m going to do some traveling, then go to law school on Libran.”
“Your grandfather would’ve loved to see you do that. He always tried to convince me of the superiority of diplomacy over military force, but I never wanted to listen.” Bill smiled at his obviously nervous son. “You’ve served the Fleet well, Lee. You’re a fine pilot. I’m sure you’ll be a fine lawyer, too.”
“What happened to, ‘a man’s not a man until he wears the wings of a Viper pilot’?” Lee reminded him tersely.
Bill sighed. He’d never live that down. His ex-wife used to like to throw that line in his face, too. “I never should have said that. I realize now that what was right for me wasn’t necessarily right for you and Zak.” Lee looked skeptical, but Bill continued, eager to take advantage of this opportunity to finally clear the air with Lee, impending nuptials notwithstanding. “When I was growing up, all I could think about was becoming a Viper pilot, joining the war effort. So I did.
“But things are different now. That stuff about ‘being a man’ having anything to do with flying a Viper is crap. I’ll be the first to admit that some of the best Viper pilots I’ve seen are women. Kara could kick my ass in a dogfight. Probably yours, too.”
Lee gave a stilted laugh at that. “Yeah, she’s something, all right.” He looked wistfully at his hands, subconsciously flexing them as if to control invisible thrusters.
“I think it’s great that you both have other opportunities available to you,” Bill said earnestly. “And I can see now that I didn’t seem very accommodating even just a couple of years ago. I think I just had trouble relating to you guys when you were growing up because I was off-world so much of the time.”
Lee seemed to relax at Bill’s pronouncement. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you,” he admitted. “Or about coming here at all.”
“So what made you change your mind?”
“Zak. Kara. The fact that they’d had a baby I’d never met. The family’s changing. You’ve found someone to spend your life with. Someone who’s closer now to Zak and Kara than I am.” He ran a hand through his short hair. “Talking with them convinced me I should try to get things right--with them, with you.” Lee took a steadying breath. “Dad, I’m sorry...”
“Son, there’s nothing to forgive. You’re here now. That means everything.”
Despite Bill’s blanket pardon, Lee persisted. “I’ve been less than civil to you for years, Dad. I always blamed you for being the bad guy in your and Mom’s divorce, held it against you.”
“Your mother and I weren’t right for each other. She had a lot to deal with, and not enough attention or help from me.” Bill’s face was sad in remembering his failure as a husband.
Lee shook his head. “No, Dad. Mom’s controlling and unstable. More than a little crazy. I get that now, but I didn’t for a long time. I blamed you for her being that way, and for leaving us with her, and I shouldn’t have.”
“Maybe not,” Bill conceded. “But I should have been around more for you, Lee. And your brother. I wish that I had.”
“When I saw you in your command at the decommissioning, and from what I heard about you on the Pegasus from people who had served under you, I resented that you seemed more like a father to your crew than you ever did to me.” Lee shrugged. “And at that point, Zak had flunked out of flight school. But instead of being a failure, suddenly he had the girl of my dreams and the old man’s approval.” He flopped back into the couch unhappily.
Understanding dawned on Bill. He’d had no idea that Lee had ever been interested in pursuing Kara, but suddenly Lee’s estrangement from both him and Zak over the past two years suddenly made a lot more sense. “Ah.”
“I was jealous of Zak, so it was hard to be around or to talk to him. I knew Kara before he did, did you know that? I actually introduced them.” He laughed bitterly. “Worst mistake of my life, though I guess it would have happened eventually, anyway.”
“It wasn’t easy for him after Kara flunked him,” Bill said gently in defense of his younger son. “He had to find a new path for himself after thinking he would be following you. He looked up to you so much.”
Lee seemed to accept that. “Anyway...it was hard for me to do, but Kara asked me to consider coming out for the wedding and staying with them for a couple days. So I put in a request for emergency shore leave, Admiral Cain granted it, I caught up with Zak and Kara yesterday, and”--he gestured around him--”here I am.” He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Nice place, by the way. A lot better than that dump you used to rent.”
Ah. The rat-trap apartment he’d mercifully left behind when Laura agreed to his suggestion that they move in together. Bill chuckled and rose from the couch, extending a hand to pull Lee up too and embracing his son when he stood. “You’ll be just fine, son,” he said. When they parted, Bill noticed Lee’s garment bag. “You brought something to change into for the wedding?”
Lee nodded. “Yeah, Zak and Kara will be here shortly, I told them I’d keep an eye on Ariadne while they helped you and Laura get ready for the wedding. I figured I’d just change into my suit here, if that’s all right.”
“Of course," Bill said, before Lee's intention sunk in. “No uniform?” he asked noncommittally. “I’m wearing my grays, at Laura’s request. It’s a bit too formal, but your blues would be appropriate.”
Lee shook his head. “Nah. Time to start getting used to life outside of uniform.”
“All right, then. I’ve gotta go start putting the rest of mine on. You can use the room with the crib in it upstairs to get ready. It’s usually Ariadne’s room, but I don’t think she’ll mind sharing with you.”
Lee grinned, this time a genuine smile, at the mention of his niece. “Yeah, she and I seem to be getting along just fine so far. I can’t believe how tiny she is, though. I haven’t been around many babies before.”
“Funny, Laura said the same thing.” Bill walked over to a bookshelf and grabbed a picture of Laura sitting in a rocking chair with the baby snuggled against her chest, both of them wearing blissed-out expressions, and proudly showed it to Lee. “My two favorite ladies."
"Cute," Lee allowed.
"But Laura caught on to the baby care thing pretty quickly. You will, too.”
Bill looked at the watch he was suddenly glad he’d remembered to slip on, the one his father had given him shortly before he died. It informed him that the caterer should be arriving in fifteen minutes. “I’m sorry Lee, I really do have to finish dressing. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Is there anything I can do in the meantime, Dad?” Lee looked around the quiet house expectantly. Though tidy and well-appointed, it did not have the appearance of imminently hosting an elaborate event such as a wedding.
Bill picked up on the cause for his son’s puzzlement. “Most of the wedding and reception will be happening in the backyard; everything’s already set up out there,” he explained. “Feel free to take a look around if you'd like. Just take care of answering the door for us if anyone else shows up, okay?” Lee nodded his assent.
Just as Bill got to the top of the stairs, the doorbell rang. He hovered for a moment, waiting to see whether it was the caterers, but proceeded down the hall to finish dressing once he recognized Zak and Kara’s voices mingling with Lee’s, all overshadowed by the occasional squawk from the youngest wedding guest. He hovered by the door to the master bedroom for a moment and briefly considered jumping Laura in the shower, or at least filling her in on his conversation with Lee, before deciding against either option in favor of getting dressed; there’d be plenty of time for that later.
He was just about to close the door to the guest room to begin putting on his tunic, braided sash, and various medals, when he heard Lee exclaim, “Kara Thrace, what have you done?!”
Chapter 3
Author: afrakaday
Word Count: 1570
Rating: T
A/N: Chapter 2 of the final installation of the Astral Planes series. Chapter 1 has links to the first three parts of the series. Thanks as always to nixmom for the beta. Includes the "diplomacy is the best strategy" prompt.
Lee looked up when Bill reached the landing. “Hi.” He stood awkwardly with his hands clasped before him, apparently waiting for an “at ease” instruction.
“Lee. I’m glad to see you,” Bill said.
“I wasn’t sure you would be. We haven’t talked--”
“No, I’m happy you came. I’d like for you to get to know Laura.” Bill held out his right hand, and when Lee took it, draped his free arm over Lee’s shoulder and clapped him twice on the back. “You are always welcome here. Always. I mean that.” Bill eased down onto the couch and gestured for Lee to join him. “So. What’s going on?”
Lee shifted uncomfortably in the corner of the couch. “For one thing, I’ve decided to leave the Fleet. My five years of service are up next month. I’m going to do some traveling, then go to law school on Libran.”
“Your grandfather would’ve loved to see you do that. He always tried to convince me of the superiority of diplomacy over military force, but I never wanted to listen.” Bill smiled at his obviously nervous son. “You’ve served the Fleet well, Lee. You’re a fine pilot. I’m sure you’ll be a fine lawyer, too.”
“What happened to, ‘a man’s not a man until he wears the wings of a Viper pilot’?” Lee reminded him tersely.
Bill sighed. He’d never live that down. His ex-wife used to like to throw that line in his face, too. “I never should have said that. I realize now that what was right for me wasn’t necessarily right for you and Zak.” Lee looked skeptical, but Bill continued, eager to take advantage of this opportunity to finally clear the air with Lee, impending nuptials notwithstanding. “When I was growing up, all I could think about was becoming a Viper pilot, joining the war effort. So I did.
“But things are different now. That stuff about ‘being a man’ having anything to do with flying a Viper is crap. I’ll be the first to admit that some of the best Viper pilots I’ve seen are women. Kara could kick my ass in a dogfight. Probably yours, too.”
Lee gave a stilted laugh at that. “Yeah, she’s something, all right.” He looked wistfully at his hands, subconsciously flexing them as if to control invisible thrusters.
“I think it’s great that you both have other opportunities available to you,” Bill said earnestly. “And I can see now that I didn’t seem very accommodating even just a couple of years ago. I think I just had trouble relating to you guys when you were growing up because I was off-world so much of the time.”
Lee seemed to relax at Bill’s pronouncement. “I wasn’t sure how to tell you,” he admitted. “Or about coming here at all.”
“So what made you change your mind?”
“Zak. Kara. The fact that they’d had a baby I’d never met. The family’s changing. You’ve found someone to spend your life with. Someone who’s closer now to Zak and Kara than I am.” He ran a hand through his short hair. “Talking with them convinced me I should try to get things right--with them, with you.” Lee took a steadying breath. “Dad, I’m sorry...”
“Son, there’s nothing to forgive. You’re here now. That means everything.”
Despite Bill’s blanket pardon, Lee persisted. “I’ve been less than civil to you for years, Dad. I always blamed you for being the bad guy in your and Mom’s divorce, held it against you.”
“Your mother and I weren’t right for each other. She had a lot to deal with, and not enough attention or help from me.” Bill’s face was sad in remembering his failure as a husband.
Lee shook his head. “No, Dad. Mom’s controlling and unstable. More than a little crazy. I get that now, but I didn’t for a long time. I blamed you for her being that way, and for leaving us with her, and I shouldn’t have.”
“Maybe not,” Bill conceded. “But I should have been around more for you, Lee. And your brother. I wish that I had.”
“When I saw you in your command at the decommissioning, and from what I heard about you on the Pegasus from people who had served under you, I resented that you seemed more like a father to your crew than you ever did to me.” Lee shrugged. “And at that point, Zak had flunked out of flight school. But instead of being a failure, suddenly he had the girl of my dreams and the old man’s approval.” He flopped back into the couch unhappily.
Understanding dawned on Bill. He’d had no idea that Lee had ever been interested in pursuing Kara, but suddenly Lee’s estrangement from both him and Zak over the past two years suddenly made a lot more sense. “Ah.”
“I was jealous of Zak, so it was hard to be around or to talk to him. I knew Kara before he did, did you know that? I actually introduced them.” He laughed bitterly. “Worst mistake of my life, though I guess it would have happened eventually, anyway.”
“It wasn’t easy for him after Kara flunked him,” Bill said gently in defense of his younger son. “He had to find a new path for himself after thinking he would be following you. He looked up to you so much.”
Lee seemed to accept that. “Anyway...it was hard for me to do, but Kara asked me to consider coming out for the wedding and staying with them for a couple days. So I put in a request for emergency shore leave, Admiral Cain granted it, I caught up with Zak and Kara yesterday, and”--he gestured around him--”here I am.” He smiled, though it didn’t reach his eyes. “Nice place, by the way. A lot better than that dump you used to rent.”
Ah. The rat-trap apartment he’d mercifully left behind when Laura agreed to his suggestion that they move in together. Bill chuckled and rose from the couch, extending a hand to pull Lee up too and embracing his son when he stood. “You’ll be just fine, son,” he said. When they parted, Bill noticed Lee’s garment bag. “You brought something to change into for the wedding?”
Lee nodded. “Yeah, Zak and Kara will be here shortly, I told them I’d keep an eye on Ariadne while they helped you and Laura get ready for the wedding. I figured I’d just change into my suit here, if that’s all right.”
“Of course," Bill said, before Lee's intention sunk in. “No uniform?” he asked noncommittally. “I’m wearing my grays, at Laura’s request. It’s a bit too formal, but your blues would be appropriate.”
Lee shook his head. “Nah. Time to start getting used to life outside of uniform.”
“All right, then. I’ve gotta go start putting the rest of mine on. You can use the room with the crib in it upstairs to get ready. It’s usually Ariadne’s room, but I don’t think she’ll mind sharing with you.”
Lee grinned, this time a genuine smile, at the mention of his niece. “Yeah, she and I seem to be getting along just fine so far. I can’t believe how tiny she is, though. I haven’t been around many babies before.”
“Funny, Laura said the same thing.” Bill walked over to a bookshelf and grabbed a picture of Laura sitting in a rocking chair with the baby snuggled against her chest, both of them wearing blissed-out expressions, and proudly showed it to Lee. “My two favorite ladies."
"Cute," Lee allowed.
"But Laura caught on to the baby care thing pretty quickly. You will, too.”
Bill looked at the watch he was suddenly glad he’d remembered to slip on, the one his father had given him shortly before he died. It informed him that the caterer should be arriving in fifteen minutes. “I’m sorry Lee, I really do have to finish dressing. Make yourself comfortable.”
“Is there anything I can do in the meantime, Dad?” Lee looked around the quiet house expectantly. Though tidy and well-appointed, it did not have the appearance of imminently hosting an elaborate event such as a wedding.
Bill picked up on the cause for his son’s puzzlement. “Most of the wedding and reception will be happening in the backyard; everything’s already set up out there,” he explained. “Feel free to take a look around if you'd like. Just take care of answering the door for us if anyone else shows up, okay?” Lee nodded his assent.
Just as Bill got to the top of the stairs, the doorbell rang. He hovered for a moment, waiting to see whether it was the caterers, but proceeded down the hall to finish dressing once he recognized Zak and Kara’s voices mingling with Lee’s, all overshadowed by the occasional squawk from the youngest wedding guest. He hovered by the door to the master bedroom for a moment and briefly considered jumping Laura in the shower, or at least filling her in on his conversation with Lee, before deciding against either option in favor of getting dressed; there’d be plenty of time for that later.
He was just about to close the door to the guest room to begin putting on his tunic, braided sash, and various medals, when he heard Lee exclaim, “Kara Thrace, what have you done?!”
Chapter 3