New Chapter: Finding the Limit III, K/L/D/S, R
This is it. The last part of Finding the Limit - at least for now. I think the three parts I wrote so far can stand on their own, and I can always add to it later - I probably will, but considering it took an average of fourteen months between each of the previous parts... it could be a while. For anyone who doesn't like to read WIPs, I'm officially declaring this "completed," so feel free to read it ;)
Title: Finding the Limit III (sequel to Approaching Zero and Still Approaching Zero)
Author: shipperfey
Summary: Kara, Lee, Dee and Sam contemplate their family as it grows and evolves.
Spoilers: Eye of Jupiter. TAB if you really read between the lines.
Warnings: Adult themes. Polygamy. Dee having a personality. Threesomes where the balls don't really touch. Breastfeeding talk. Lots of babies. Unconventional living arrangements. Slightly contrived breach of patient-doctor confidentiality.
Pairing(s)/Characters: Sam/Kara/Lee/Dee, with a definite bias towards Kara/Lee - although Kara/Sam gets explored a little bit more than in the prequels, as does Dee's side of the story. What can I say? I was feeling generous.
Rating: NC-17 (probably R for this chapter)
Part I (PG-13, general QoD dynamics)
Part II (NC-17, K/L/S threesome)
♥
III
Even after all these years, Sam still felt slightly uncomfortable at Adama family functions. So when the Admiral had requested the presence of everyone for dinner, he had cringed inside. Sam always felt like the odd man out in these situations - the only uniform he'd ever worn had been for the C-Bucks and despite everyone's claim to the contrary, he didn't feel he was an Adama like the rest of them.
Luckily the kids had kept him, and everyone else at the table, occupied during dinner. With the President there, there were six adults and six kids, and it felt nice to not be outnumbered for once. And as awkward as he felt, as Sam had watched his sons and daughter interact with the Admiral and the President, he'd been once again reassured his children would always have a place in this family... no matter what.
As they retired to the living area of the Admiral's quarters for the evening, Sam took a seat on the leather couch and was surprised when Ana took a seat next to him. He could tell she was tired, but she still looked every bit the colonial officer in her dress blues.
She'd told him about the miscarriage after he'd sworn to secrecy; her reasoning had been that she didn't want the stress to affect Kara's chances of conception. Ollie was a year old now, walking on his own but still breastfeeding because of his allergy - this, along with a single ovary, were affecting Kara's odds according to Cottle.
Sam had also been the only person Ana had told she was late; she'd be seeing Cottle soon for a test, and as nice as it was to have had a long breather in between newborns, Sam was excited at the possibility of a new child. He'd never expected to find validation in fatherhood, but he'd found himself loving it early on. The others still had jobs they held, duties to perform to keep the fleet safe and the military running like the well-oiled machine it was... he just had their family.
“Here you go, son,” the Admiral said as he handed Sam a glass.
“Uh, thanks-- thank you, sir,” Sam added awkwardly, the Admiral's term of endearment and action having successfully thrown him off his game. If he'd been in a pyramid court, he'd be lying flat on his ass by now.
The alcohol was delicious, and he treasured how smooth it went down; everyone know the last of the good liquor in the fleet was in the possession of the Admiral and his XO. And it was rarely ever shared, so Sam wondered what the special occasion was to warrant both a family dinner and the decent booze.
Ana turned down the glass she was offered, offering her early morning shift in CIC as an excuse. The Admiral put the bottle away, freeing his hands to hold an excited Troy, who was extra hyper at getting to hang out with his Pops.
Sam glanced at the other side of the room, where the President was sitting in a chair talking to Kara and Lee, both standing up in their uniform, as Kyrie watched the trio with fascination. He hoped the interest was just in the big words rather than the subject matter of whatever the adults were discussing, but if it wasn't, Sam hoped she'd go into politics rather than the military.
“Papa?” Haemon's voice asked politely.
Sam directed his attention to the five-year-old. “What's up?”
Haemon pointed at the model ship by the massive desk. “Can I play?”
“It's not a toy, son,” Sam explained. “But you can look. Just remember, with your eyes, not your hands.”
The five-year-old nodded and walked to the desk. Sam watched him carefully for a couple of minutes, until he felt secure that his son was doing as told; not that he was concerned, as Haemon was well-behaved - especially around his grandfather - and very good at following instructions.
“Hey, Bill,” the President said as she made her way across the room to stand by the Admiral. “Lee was just mentioning to me an interesting theory.”
“Is that right?” the Admiral asked, as Kara and Lee made their way over as well.
“I was going to mention it during our meeting tomorrow,” Lee explained, in an almost apologetic tone, “but Kara and I noticed some interesting data when we were trying to plan the next planet-finding rotations. The raptor jump calculations are getting less complex as we are moving into what seems to be a more stable area of the galaxy. Less debris fields, less radio-active clouds.”
“From the element signature our teams keep finding, sir,” Kara added, seamlessly picking up from Lee's explanation, “and we have a theory that these conditions would be perfect for planetary bodies of the right size, with the right type of atmosphere.”
“Of course, it could still be years or decades before we come across another inhabitable planet,” Lee pointed out.
“But you're hopeful your theory is right,” the Admiral added, not really a question but a statement.
“Yeah, we are,” Lee replied with a smile. “Maybe within the next couple of years we'll find a nice little planet to settle in.”
Kara looked smug next to him, but still more officer-like than Sam usually got to see.
The Admiral exhaled as if he'd been holding a breath for years. “I'm glad to hear that, son. The reason I called you all here today is to let you know I'll be retiring in a few weeks.”
Sam raised his eyebrows in shock, and he knew his reaction was nothing compared to the other adults.
“And I will be leaving my post as well,” the President added, with a meek smile as she held on to the Admiral's arm.
“Are you-- are you sure?” Lee asked, and Sam could instantly tell it was the son asking, and not the fleet officer.
“I am,” the Admiral replied.
“Wow, Admiral Tigh,” Kara teased. “That's going to be fun.”
“Actually, Colonel Tigh will be retiring as well,” the President corrected.
The Admiral chuckled softly, “Saul says he doesn't want to be the one in charge, and he sure as hell won't be taking orders from anyone else. But I'm hoping you'll do the honors, Major Adama.”
Sam heard Kara let out a sound that was equal parts squeak and snort, and beside him, Ana was beaming.
“I don't know if I--,” Lee added nervously.
The Admiral cut him off, standing up with Troy still in one arm, and placed a reassuring arm on his son. “I believe in you, Lee. I look at this family, and I know you won't stop until you've found a safe home for them... until they can run on the grass and learn to swim in a sea. A lot of people have given up hope, but you haven't. That's the kind of person we need leading this fleet.”
“I...” Lee began to say, before clearing his throat and continuing, “I won't fail you, sir.”
“I know you won't,” the Admiral replied with certainty before hugging his son, little Troy squished between the two men. The hugs kept coming, Laura then Kara, followed by Dee who got up from the couch and threw herself excitedly at her husband.
Sam stood up as well and made his way to the group of excited adults; he might not understand everything there was to know about the inner workings of the military, but he knew this was a big deal. No, bigger than big - a huge deal, not just for the fleet or their family, but also for his friend. Sam shook Lee's hand before he pulled the smaller man in for a hug. “Congrats, man,” he offered.
Lee was grinning wide as he replied, “Thanks.”
Sam watched as Kara's face changed from surprise and pride to newfound realization. “Wait, does this mean we get these quarters?”
♥
Lee heard her arrive and sighed with relief.
“You wanted to see me?” Kara asked with her usual smirk. It was always a wonder either of them got any work done in this office whenever she wore that smirk.
But he was swamped with work; his father's retirement was in a couple more weeks, and he had new posts to fill. “Yeah... I, uh, needed to ask you something.”
Kara raised an inquisitive eyebrow at him, but she must've sensed he meant business, because she was still standing straight in her uniform, hands behind her back.
“Come on,” he said, motioning towards the spot next to him on the couch.
She sat down, eying the enormous amount of paperwork on the table in front of him. “So, what do you need help with?”
It wasn't just Tigh who was retiring with the Admiral, but a few other officers as well. There had been a small number of people enlisting as life on other ships grew more pointless by the day, so almost all requests for retirement had been approved. “There are a couple of different positions that might need filling,” he explained. “but those are all depending on one position: my XO.”
Kara sighed and unbuttoned the top two buttons of her uniform jacket. “Okay, who are your options? I could help you narrow it down.”
He handed her a small square piece of paper, which contained just one name. She glanced at it, then glanced back at him. “You can't be serious...”
“It's the only name I could come up with after weeks of deliberation,” he assured her.
Kara shook her head. “What about Helo? He was your father's XO before. Or even Dee?”
“I think Helo would do a better job as the CAG,” Lee explained. “And Dee - even if she wanted this position... this isn't New Caprica, Kara. I need someone who understands every step of my decision-making, and someone who call tell me when I'm out of my frakkin' mind. Someone who'll stand by my every call even if they don't agree with me.”
“And you think I'm the one for the job?” she snorted.
He nodded. “There's no one in the Fleet I trust more than you.”
She stared into his eyes for what felt like minutes, her face registering every emotion, from shock to wonder and back to irritation.
“Kara...” he said, not caring his voice sounded like begging. “We've always worked better as a team.”
“There are so many reasons why we shouldn't,” she reminded him. “For one, promoting your...” she trailed off, and he hated the fact there was no official word to define their relationship - because it felt pretty godsdamned definitive.
“Dee was my XO before. It wouldn't be exactly unprecedented,” he pointed out. “not to mention you're more qualified. I doubt anyone would blink an eye at such a promotion.”
She glanced at the paper in her hand once more, before closing her eyes and shaking her head softly. “You're really insane, you know that?”
He grinned. “See? You're not afraid to let me know. But my decision is still the same.”
“And if I say yes?” she asked plainly.
“Then we'll get the XO's quarters in addition to the Admiral's quarters,” he pointed out. “Plenty of room for the whole family, and right across the way from each other.”
“That's not what I had meant, but you do know how to sweeten a pot,” she conceded.
He gave her his best puppy-face look. “Come on, Kara. I can't do this alone.”
She sighed and let her head drop, but then she looked back up at him, she was smirking again. “Fine, I'll be your second-in-command, sir.”
His uniform pants suddenly felt very constraining, and he once again cursed the amount of work in front of him that needed to be done.
♥
“Put it in the hole, Dee,” Kara shouted from her spot, laughing as Dee missed another shot.
“Sorry,” Dee added with a smile as she returned to their table at Joe's Bar, where Kara was sitting.
“No worries, we're obviously at a disadvantage,” Kara pointed out as Sam and Lee passed the pyramid ball back and forth to each other. “You're knocked up,” she added, raising her glass in a silent toast, “and I'm getting drunk for the first time in months. Thank you, Ollie, for finally holding down some algae so Mama could taste alcohol again.” She took a shot of the unsavory concoction to prove her point.
Dee raised her own glass of water and clinked it against Kara's now empty one.
“You're a sore loser,” Sam reminded Kara when he took a seat next to her.
“You're gonna be sore in a lot of places if you don't shut your mouth,” she threatened with a smirk. “And I don't mean any of the fun places.”
“I'm just glad to be having some downtime,” Lee pointed out as he poured himself, Sam and her another drink.
She nodded. The two of them had been working so much, trying to get ready to take over the Galactica- the entire fleet, if they were being honest - and all of their free time had been devoted to the children. It felt great to be out of the family's cramped quarters and having a fun night out; and being able to have all four of them out together was a rare opportunity. Luckily for them, the Old Man had seen how wound up they'd been, and offered to watch the kids for a couple of hours. Kara had packed all kids up so fast, even though she'd had no idea how he'd be able to do it all on his own, and then she'd found the President in the Admiral's quarters. Hopefully the older woman's experience with multiple children in a classroom setting would pay off in these circumstances.
“Cubit for your thoughts,” Lee asked, boot-clad foot bumping into hers under the table.
“Hoping the kids don't kill their Pops,” she added with a smile.
“I know, I'm just waiting for Gaeta's voice to page us to the Admiral's quarters,” Dee concurred.
“Come on, stop worrying,” Sam instructed them, one of his hands finding its way to the back of Kara's neck and massaging the tight knot there.
Kara willed herself to relax, and between the alcohol and the company, it was easier than she'd expected. She and Dee had actually been laughing at the same jokes - even sharing conspiratorial eye-rolls at the men's stories.
Sam's hand had continued to rub at her neck and shoulders, fingers dissolving some of the tension in her. Sometime during the evening, she'd placed her feet against the edge of Lee's chair as it sat across from hers; he'd pulled her feet into his lap, and found the first patch of skin that her boots didn't cover. She'd never thought her shins and calves were sensitive before, but as Lee stroked the skin there, she found it both relaxing and arousing.
When Dee stood up a couple of hours later, reminding them it was time to get the kids, Kara resisted the urge to pout.
“How about Dee and I go get the kids and get them in bed? You guys have been working a lot, and this is probably your last night off for a while...” Sam suggested. “You should enjoy it.”
Kara glanced at Dee, and felt relief taking over her when the other woman seemed okay with Sam's suggestion.
“Thanks, guys... we owe you one,” Lee promised.
“No worries,” Dee assured them as the foursome said their goodbyes.
Kara took the seat Dee had just vacated, and grinned at Lee. “We got a whole night off,” she pointed out, feeling the alcohol in her bloodstream.
“What shall we do?” Lee teased, moving to brush his lips against her cheekbone.
Kara was pretty sure this wasn't what Sam and Dee had had in mind when they'd made their suggestion, but as Lee pressed her against the cold wall of the supply room, she didn't quite care.
There were safe places they could go to make love, but this wasn't about safe lovemaking. This was about forgetting their cares and their duties and their family, for an hour or two, and getting lost in each other. Lee rocked his hips into hers, and she moaned into his mouth.
“Clothes, off,” she managed to get out.
Two pairs of tanks found their way to the floor of the supply room, and Kara gasped when his lips closed around her nipple. And then one of his hands was between her legs, inside her underwear, and a finger slid into her with little warning.
“Frak!” she bit out, unable to help the way her legs clamped around his hand. Judging by the way Lee moved his thumb to circle her clit, he didn't seem to mind the claustrophobic environment his hand found itself in.
His lips let go of her nipple with an audible pop, but he stayed there, breathing warm air over the hardened peak, nose pressing into the fleshy mound next to her heart. One finger inside her turned to two, and he curled them against just the right spot. Her legs threatened to give out under her, and her hands clung to his shoulders in blind desperation, but Lee was pressing her against the wall still, holding her up with his body.
His mouth made its way up to her neck, kisses going from soft and loving to wild and passionate. He nipped at her collarbone in a special spot, the one that would be hidden under her uniform if he happened to leave a mark, the one only Lee knew about.
Kara slammed her head into the wall behind her when she came, and she was thankful the alcohol had dulled her senses enough that the pain barely registered, but not enough to keep her from feeling every nerve ending between her legs throbbing with sensation. She hissed when Lee tried to untangle his hand from her underwear, fingers brushing against engorged tissue in a manner that was both pleasant and unpleasant.
“Here, open up,” he whispered against her, and she tried to relax her legs. His hands finished undoing her pants and letting it drop with her underwear to the ground where they got caught in her boots. “Can you stay up?” he asked, glancing down.
She nodded after testing her legs to make sure they weren't about to buckle anytime soon. And then Lee was down on his knees in front of her, and the visual made her feel lightheaded again. But he was focused on the task at hand - removing her boots, followed by her pants and underwear - and then he was done and staring up at her with those blue eyes. “Gods, I love you,” she blurted out, and he beamed up at her and kissed his way up her body, and back to her lips. When his tongue wrapped around hers, she felt more relaxed than she had in weeks.
They broke apart long enough to free his erection, and then she was wrapping her legs around his hips, trusting him to hold both of them up. As he entered her, she let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding, and he was kissing her again and gasping into her mouth. The tempo of his thrusts was quickly building up; Kara clung to Lee's shoulders even more, opening herself as much as she could to him, and feeling him slide even deeper inside her. He released her mouth with a breathless moan at the change, and she felt a rush of womanly pride at the way he struggled to get his breathing under control.
He pulled back enough to meet her eyes, and she bit her lower lip. “I love you too,” he added in reply to her earlier confession, even though the words were unnecessary with the way he was looking at her.
“I know,” she assured him, giving him one of her patented smiles. And then one of his hands moved up to frame her face, and she felt herself swell with emotion. “Please,” she begged, even though she wasn't sure what she was asking for. But it was as if she didn't have to know, because Lee did - and he was sudenly pushing even deeper into her, his pubic bone kept brushing against her clit with every stroke.
“Like that?” he asked, and she nodded. She didn't feel drunk from the alcohol anymore, but she was inebriated with the feeling of Lee, around her, inside her, assaulting every one of her senses.
“Just like that,” Kara reiterated, letting her tongue dart out to brush against his lower lip. She changed the angle of her hip just slightly, and tightened her legs around his hips, trying to get some leverage of her own; and then she was meeting him halfway, thrust by thrust.
The hand cradling her face gripped her even closer, and she knew he was close. Her own body was shaking with a fast-approaching orgasm, but she held off until he was coming deep inside her. Then she pressed her lips to his jaw to muffle her screams as she finally let go.
They didn't move for a few minutes, even as their bodies protested the position they were in. “Can we stay here forever?” Lee asked, as her forehead rested against his shoulder.
“Someone would find us sooner or later,” she pointed out.
His hands were rubbing at the skin of her hip, and it almost felt ticklish. She laughed softly against his skin, before taking a deep breath and unlocking her legs. Lee held her up until her feet were firmly back on the cold ground of the supply room, and she gave him a cheeky grin at the way her legs felt rubbery and unsteady. When he was sure she'd be okay without his support, he moved to pick up her clothes and handed them back to her.
Once they were both dressed again, she undogged the hatch and held out her. hand for him. “Come on, Lee Adama... I'll let you tuck me in.”
♥
Dee had expected a rather stressful day; she'd left Sam with Troy and Ollie and taken the other four kids to daycare. Civilians on the Galactica had finally made themselves useful with the creation of the center, even if the place tended to be more chaotic than CIC during an attack. Everything was a numbers game these days, and the ever growing quantity of children in the ship was both reassuring and terrifying.
Kara and Lee had been gone already when Dee had woken up, and she knew how hard they'd both been working lately to get everything prepared for their new roles. For the first time in a very long time, maybe forever, she was truly grateful for Kara's presence in Lee's life; she hadn't wanted a repeat of his downward spiral when he'd taken command of the Pegasus, and she was thankful he was able to share his burdens with Kara this time around. It still pained Dee, but it was a manageable ache, not the all-consuming jealousy she'd once felt.
As she'd arrived at the CIC, she'd been hit by the strange mood in the air there. It was the Admiral's last day - the last day for quite a few officers in Dee's second home - and it reminded her of the last day of school. Her morning sickness and hormones weren't helping her either, and she'd been sipping on algae-coffee for the better part of the hour to try to wish away the anxiety that came with the realization that the next morning, everything would be different.
The Admiral had met her eyes a few times and smiled at her; her hero, her idol, her father-in-law... the only grandfather her kids would ever know. It was breaking her heart and she decided to focus on work so she wouldn't tear up in CIC. She relieved Jaffee for a break; she'd been training him on Comms, and he'd been a godssend.
As she took her seat and put on her headpiece, she heard a familiar voice.
“Galactica, CAP is away,” her husband informed, repeating the words she'd heard him say so many times.
“Roger that, Apollo,” she replied. “One last CAP for old time's sake, Major?”
“Had to say goodbye,” he explained, and she could hear how relaxed he was.
A second voice, as familiar as Lee's, cut across the comms, “Don't get all sentimental on us now, Lee,” Kara teased.
“You're gonna make me regret letting you back inside a viper, aren't you?” Lee asked.
Dee was hit by the nostalgic feeling of it all. Remembered the days, after the original attacks and long before she'd fallen in love with Bill Adama's son, when she'd sit in this spot and feel comforted by the comm chatter between Starbuck and Apollo. The unending banter and jokes used to be such a refuge for Dee, from the constant fear and uncertainty of the fleet's collective existence back then. Warmed by the remembrance, Dee sat back in her chair to listen and relax.
“Admit it, Apollo, you missed me riding your six,” Kara replied, and Dee could hear the smirk in the pilot's voice.
“As if you need to be in a cockpit to ride my six,” Lee quipped.
“You love every second of it,” Kara wisecracked.
“I miss the days when CAP used to be my quiet time,” Athena interjected from the raptor she and Helo were in.
“They have six kids,” Helo pointed out. “This is quiet for them.”
“Soon to be seven,” Kara corrected him. “Dee's pregnant.”
From her spot, Dee couldn't help but hear the pride in Kara's voice over the comms, and it made her more emotional than she expected. If she were honest, she had to admit she'd always resented the other woman, because she would never be Kara Thrace - to Lee, to the Admiral, to the Fleet, even to Sam - and that had always caused a gap between them that Dee hadn't been willing to bridge. To realize that Kara's acceptance meant so much to her was beyond surprising.
Helo and Athena congratulated Dee directly, and she momentarily broke her silence to thank them. An hour or so later, the Admiral ordered her to put the comm chatter over the speakers in CIC, and the whole room was filled with the sounds of Starbuck and Apollo - one last time.
♥
A/N: This is all I have so far. I still want to explore this universe a bit more, especially the planet-finding bit, but I am comfortable with this being the end (for now, at least). And if anyone is wondering, there'll never be any sex scenes featuring Dee... I have my limits.