BSG fic announcement: Nine Lives 2/2

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One day blurred into the next as Lee began to settle into his new life. He started to make a few cautious friendships, more acquaintances, really, but he was starting to feel less like a pariah and more like part of the patchwork community aboard Gideon. Having spent his entire life in the military and the past two years serving aboard Galactica and Pegasus, adapting to civilian life has been harder than he anticipated. He misses the routine of military life most of all. He didn’t understand how much comfort he derived from the structure of duty shifts and assigned tasks until they were taken from him. His life now was amorphous, unstructured, unorganized, without direction. He needed direction most of all. He wanted to be useful again. He wanted - needed - to help, to make a real difference.

So he began to talk to people, find out what things are really like out here in the fleet. What he learned both astounded and horrified him. He wasn’t the only one without a sense of direction or purpose. People are left to their own devices out here more than he realized. But worse was the fear. As much as he’d found the press corps to be irritating and obtrusive, he began to see how important they were. They were the only source of information for a fleet kept largely in the dark. He’d never understood before how little information filtered down to the civilians, how much of their lives were lived in the dark, in ignorance and how that ignorance fostered fear. And fear could be as dangerous as a Cylon fleet if left unchecked.

So Lee began to talk to people in earnest and began to formulate a plan of action. He knew it would piss off the president and would only serve to alienate his father even more, but he couldn’t stand idly by when he knew what needed to be done. That wasn’t who he was. Besides, he’d burned enough bridges already that the smell of ash didn’t bother him anymore.

Lee was in the midst of writing, Artemis showing her solidarity by batting at his pen, when there was a knock on the hatch.

“Who do you think it is, this time?” he asked his kitten. She looked back at him, clearly put out by the fact that the pen was no longer moving, thereby depriving her of her toy. He smiled and set her on the bed then opened the hatch.

Lee blinked in surprise.

“Helo.”

Helo hovered outside the hatch looking vaguely embarrassed. They both stood there awkwardly until Lee saw a couple of people moving down the corridor, glaring at Helo’s back.

Lee shook his head. “Come in.”

“Thanks.”

Lee closed the hatch to find Helo staring at his kitten. He tensed, fearing a repeat of the incident with Dee, but apparently Helo knew a thing or two about kittens. Or maybe he just had a knack for dealing with prickly females. He’d certainly had plenty of practice.

“Hey there,” he said. His voice was low, devoid of any hint of gushing baby-talk. He approached slowly and extended his hand, holding it out in front of Artemis, close but not too close, leaving her to bridge the gap. Artemis tilted her head then cautiously moved forward to sniff at Helo’s fingertips. Helo remained perfectly still, submitting to her inspection.

Lee breathed a sigh of relief when, instead of hissing and scratching, she butted her head gently against Helo’s hand in invitation. Helo smiled crookedly and gently pet her.

Artemis made a soft sound of approval and let him.

Gesturing for Helo to have a seat on the bed next to Artemis, Lee sat opposite in the cabin’s only chair.

“I’d heard you’d gotten yourself a kitten.” Helo slanted him a look. “Of course, the description was more along the lines of ‘vicious feral cat’, but you know.”

Lee chuckled. Truthfully, he suspected that Dee was probably hurt more by his kitten’s rejection than his.

“She doesn’t seem so badass to me.”

“Don’t let her fool you,” Lee warned. “She’s a devious little creature.”

As if to prove Lee’s words, Artemis started chewing on the cuff of Helo’s uniform.

“’Mis,” he said, making his disapproval apparent. “Stop that.”

She meowed, looking up at him in wide-eyed innocence.

“Not buying it, ‘Mis. So quit it.”

Helo watched the exchange with amusement. “You call your cat Miss?”

“It’s short for Artemis, though it can also stand for ‘misbehavior’, ‘misadventure’ or ‘misdemeanor’. Take your pick. They’re all equally suitable.”

Artemis made an affronted noise, making Helo laugh. He continued to pet her which, Lee noted, she endured quite happily. Lee watched them for a minute then decided to get down to business.

“What brings you here, Helo?” Lee was careful to keep his voice neutral, trying not to take his aggravation out on him.

Helo’s hand stilled as he looked up. “I thought I’d try to convince you to come back. We need you, Lee.”

“Did my father send you?”

“No, I came on my own.” Helo paused. His expression softened, became almost pleading. “The old man misses you.”

But not enough to come himself Lee thought, unable to stop the swell of bitterness at the mention of his father. Not enough to try to make amends or admit he’d crossed a line. Not enough to apologize for treating his son like a traitor for doing the right thing. There was no way Lee could go back, not with that grievance lingering, festering between them. Maybe not ever again.

“I can’t,” was all Lee said.

Helo shook his head. “There’s more at stake here than your pride, Lee.”

Lee felt a flash of annoyance. “This isn’t about my pride.”

“You sure?” Helo challenged.

Lee let out a sigh of frustration. “I can’t serve under a commander who believes I have no integrity.”

Helo stared at him, disbelieving. “He said that?”

Lee nodded. “Yes. If there’s no respect, there can’t be trust and without trust how can we serve together?”

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it.”

“He meant it,” Lee replied knowing it to be the truth. “He might regret it, but he meant it. My father’s a remarkably forthright man, Helo. He means what he says, even when he doesn’t mean to say it.”

“Lee…”

Lee shook his head. “Don’t. just…don’t, all right?”

Lee felt a sudden sting in his calf and looked down to find that Artemis had abandoned her place beside Helo and was now climbing determinedly up his pants’ leg. Lee gritted his teeth and let her, knowing that if he tried to just pick her up, she’d turn sulky. Once she was settled in his lap again, he turned his attention back to Helo, his hand absently stroking along the kitten’s back.

Helo shook his head at the pair of them. “Look, I’m sorry things are so frakked up, but…that doesn’t change the fact that we need you, man.”

“I’m needed here as well.” At Helo’s look of incredulity, Lee changed tactics. “Have you spent much time in the civilian fleet, Helo?”

Helo frowned. “Not really, no.”

“Neither had I until now. We don’t know how good we have it on Galactica. Three squares a day, ready access to medical attention. Information.” He paused, looking Helo in the eye. “You have no idea what it’s like to be completely out of the loop, to have no idea about what’s going on, to have no knowledge or say into the decisions that will affect your life. You have no idea what it’s like to be helpless, to be ignored.

“People are scared, Helo and the current administration is doing nothing to help them. I don’t know if Roslin is preoccupied with trying to find Earth or if she’s allowed herself to be distracted by Baltar’s trial, or her…her cancer,” he added hesitantly. “But there’s been a breakdown. Ships petitioning for help, for medical attention, for engineers to make repairs have been ignored or brushed aside. It’s bad, Helo. Really bad.”

Helo was frowning. “So…what? You’re the self-appointed champion of the civilian fleet all of a sudden?”

Lee’s eyes narrowed. “Tell me, Helo,” he drawled out his name, making it a challenge. “Why did you stick your neck for the civilians in Dogville? I mean, you’re not Sagittaron. You didn’t owe those dirt-eaters a gods-damned thing,” he sneered, noting the way Helo’s eyes widened at his casual use if the ugly slur. “So, why did you do it?”

Lee waited, watching as awareness, then understanding settled in Helo’s eyes. “Because I was the one who saw that there was a problem. It was my responsibility to try to fix it.”

Lee nodded. “Exactly. Someone has to do the right thing. It might as well be me. I can’t stand by and pretend nothing’s wrong, not when I know the truth.”

Helo shook his head, smiling. “You’re gonna stir up a shit storm, you know that. Right?”

“Probably,” Lee replied with a wry grin. “Wouldn’t be the first time. Probably won’t be the last.”

“Yeah,” Helo agreed with a smirk before turning serious once more. “You want me to try to talk to the old man for you? Maybe, smooth things out a little? This estrangement, man, I know it’s hard on him. It can’t be any easier on you going it alone like this.”

Part of Lee wanted to say yes, wanted someone to take his side and stand up for him, but in the end this was between him and his father. They needed to deal with this on their own.

“No,” Lee said, shaking his head. “I don’t want you getting caught in the middle of this. He needs you now, more than ever. The last thing you need is for him to start questioning yourloyalty by defending me. He’ll come around eventually.”

“And if he doesn’t?”

And there was the question that Lee had tried not to think about. Lee shrugged, trying to appear nonchalant. “Then he doesn’t. You can’t force some to respect you, Helo. Either they do or they don’t.”

Helo nodded slowly. “Yeah.” He looked down at his hands hanging loosely between his legs. “I should probably go. Gotta keep those loud-mouthed viper jockeys in line.”

Lee smiled at the attempt at levity, though he wasn’t sure how convincing it really was. Helo stood, and so did he, once he’d settled Artemis against his shoulder. She wriggled a bit then settled down.

“Lee…”

He looked up to find Helo standing there, hand outstretched, his expression somber. “No matter what, you’ll always have a friend on Galactica.”

Lee swallowed then took Helo’s hand, feeling the other man give it a sharp, reassuring squeeze. “Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” Helo paused at the hatch and turned back, a small, sad smile tracing his lips. “See you around, Lee.”

Lee watched Helo disappear through the hatch.

“Mewr.”

Lee smiled down at Artemis “Helo was wrong, you know. I’m not alone; I’ve got you.”

He scratched her ears, winning him a rumbly purr before he settled back at his desk and picked up his pen. He flashed her a grin.

“C’mon. We’ve got work to do.”

[][][]

Lee burst through the hatch to his quarters feeling like the conquering hero. His meeting with Roslin had gone….well, pretty much as he’d expected, that is to say awkward and unpleasant and teetering on openly hostile at times. Roslin was a like his father in a lot of ways: coolly competent and seemingly open to suggestions and advice until their choices were questioned and then they immediately went on the defensive. Lee knew most people didn’t like to have their decisions questioned, but the leaders of the fleet served the people, not the other way around. When they failed in their duty, it was the right, even the duty of the people they’d sworn to protect to challenge those decisions.

As much as Lee had disliked the man, he’d come to understand and even appreciate Zarek’s role as the voice of opposition. No opposition led to complacency and eventually autocracy and Lee was deeply afraid they were heading down that road. While Lee would never have imagined himself in this role, he recognized the necessity of it. Acting as an advocate for civilian rights wasn’t going to win him popularity points with either Roslin or his father, but that wasn’t important. He was doing what he believed was right, for the good of the fleet - the whole fleet, not just the military, or the Quorum members or Roslin’s supporters - but for everyone. By the time their meeting had ended, Roslin was still treating him with the kind of icy disdain he recognized from her dealings with Zarek and Baltar, but there’d been a discernible softening in her manner. She still wasn’t happy with him, but he was pretty sure she understood his motives and was at least open to further discussion. And that constituted a major victory in Lee’s book.

“’Mis! I’m home” he called out playfully as he shut the hatch behind him. “I even brought you a present!”

Lee pulled the pink shoestring from his pocket, dangling it overhead like a trophy as he scanned his quarters looking for his kitten, only to find an empty cot. He frowned; that was her usual afternoon haunt.

“’Mis?”

Nothing but silence met his words. Lee could feel his heart racing with sudden fear. Had she gotten out somehow? Had someone stolen her? His eyes scanned the cabin again but found no sign of her. Dropping to his knees, he peered under the cot and felt a whoosh of relief. She was there, curled up in a tiny ball in the far corner. He reached under and pulled her out.

“Hey, what are you doing under there?” he asked. He cradled her to his shoulder, getting his first good look at her and felt his heart freeze. She was warm, too warm, glassy-eyed and listless. “’Mis?” he said again, unable to hide the fear in his voice.

Artemis meowed, a low pitiful noise that sent fear spiking through him. Sick, she was sick, his mind babbled. He cradled her gently and whispered promises into her fur,

“You’re going to be all right, ‘Mis. You’re going to be all right.”

Maybe one of them might believe it was true.

[][][]

Lee stood pressed against the bulkhead and watched as Mike examined Artemis. He worried his thumbnail, a bad habit he’d thought he’d broken years ago, feeling his heart pounding in his chest.

Mike stood up.

“Is she all right?”

Mike shrugged. “I dunno,” he admitted. “I’m not a vet, Lee.”

Lee nodded. He’d been desperate to find someone, anyone, with experience with animals. Mike Stavos had spent summers working on a ranch on Tauron during college. That made him as close to an expert as anyone these days.

“What do you think is wrong?”

Mike shrugged. “Malnutrition, maybe? You’re feeding her algae, right?”

Lee nodded “That’s all that’s available,” he said, feeling numb. What if he did this? What if it was his fault that Artemis was sick?

“The algae isn’t bad for her, but she might have been weaned too soon. Not built up enough anti-bodies. You said she was five months old?” Lee nodded again “She’s a bit small for her age.”

“She was the runt of the litter,” Lee explained, the numbness creeping through him.

Mike nodded thoughtfully. “Antibiotics might help. Milk, if you could get it. I know there’s none of the real stuff, but even the powdered kind might help, strengthen her a little.”

“Ok.”

“You’ll need to bottle feed her. You can use a syringe. Can you do that?”

Lee nodded, remembering those early weeks when he’d hand fed her algae pulp until he managed to convince her to eat on her own.

“I wish I could do more, but…”

Lee nodded, words abandoning him completely.

Mike nodded back in understanding. “Let me know how things go, OK?”

Another nod.

Mike squeezed his shoulder. “Good luck, Lee.”

And then he was gone.

Lee sank to the cot beside Artemis. She looked so tiny and frail curled up on his pillow. She gazed up at him with helpless blue eyes and meowed softly. He caressed the top of her head gently.

“I’m going to take care of you, ‘Mis. I promise.”

Lee had broken a lot of promises in his life. This wasn’t going to be one of them.

[][][]

The black market post-New Caprica, left a lot to be desired. Fewer goods and tighter controls weren’t exactly good for business, but where there’s a demand, there’s always a way.

Finding antibiotics was pretty easy - and he should have been more appalled by that fact than he was - but powdered milk was far more challenging. He found it at last, wincing at the outrageous price, but he paid it. Would have paid almost anything if it made Artemis healthy again. He knew he should feel guilty or embarrassed that he was going to such lengths for the sake of a cat, for a gods-damned pet. But he didn’t. He couldn’t feel anything past the ever present knot of fear. Artemis was all he had. She was the one good thing in his life and he wasn’t letting her go without a fight. He’d made that mistake before, too many times. He wasn’t going to make it again.

He mixed the powder with water, ignoring the way his hands shook when he added in the antibiotics and poured the whole mix into the syringe. Lee sat on his cot, back braced against the bulkhead, legs splayed out in front of him and Artemis curled against his shoulder. He pressed the tip of the syringe against her mouth whispering for her to open up, surprised and relieved when she did. He rocked gently while he fed her, talking softly the entire time. She was quiescent in his grasp, accepting the milk mixture with a passivity that was utterly contrary to her nature and Lee found himself praying to the Gods in whom he had no faith for her sake.

For three days straight he nursed her like a newborn, holding her cradled next to his heart. Lee talked to her the entire time, telling her tales about her namesake, the fearless Artemis and her twin Apollo. He told her stories from his own childhood, Zak and his parents and Grandpa Joe. He told her about the academy and war college, Gianne and Kara and Dee. He told her all his secrets, all his fears, all his hopes. He laid himself bare for her, hoping that somehow she could understand how much she meant to him, how important she’d become in his life.

On the fourth day, Lee awoke to the sound of Artemis purring. When she climbed up his chest and perched on his shoulder like a parrot, Lee smiled so hard he thought his face might shatter. He swore he’d never complain about claws poking into his skin ever again

[][][]

In the days that followed, Artemis made a complete recovery. Lee watched her carefully for any signs of a relapse or any side effects from their admittedly half-assed medical treatment, but found nothing amiss. After a few days, Lee even stopped jerking awake in the middle of the night to reassure himself that she was still there curled up next to him.

Artemis had taken to sleeping next to his head, fitting her body into the curve where neck met shoulder, her cold, wet nose pressed against his skin, tail brushing against his shoulder. It was soothing, even if he did occasionally get a nose filled with twitching cat tail, and Lee began to sleep deeply once again.

He was insanely busy and there were days Lee began to regret his decision to take on the role of civilian rights’ advocate, especially when Tom Zarek of all people showed up on his doorstep offering up words of praise and a cryptic plan to remove Roslin from office and replace her with someone “more in touch with the needs of the people.”

Lee assumed Zarek meant him, but he’d been a bit distracted, what with Artemis hissing and growling at Zarek like he was some kind of alley cat that had intruded into her marked territory. Which, Lee supposed was true.

Tom had left nursing a scowl and a set of bloody scratches courtesy of Artemis. She watched him leave then daintily began to wash herself as if sullied from the brief exposure.

Lee had laughed and, recognizing a good idea when he saw it, went and took a shower himself.

Despite such things, life was…good. He had purpose once again, a mission that drove him and challenged him intellectually if not physically. It might not be as heroic as flying vipers and fighting Cylons, but it was good work, important work. He was making a real difference in people’s lives.

And, of course, he had Artemis. He should probably find it odd that his closest companion and confidante was a cat, but the truth was, she’d been there with him through thick and thin. Maybe with time he might be ready to go out and seek other companionship, but not just yet. He’d been burned too badly and too often to be willing to risk his heart just yet.

He wasn’t entirely alone, though. He’d struck up some real friendships on Gideon and Helo came by for a visit every few weeks or so, ostensibly to share gossip but more to fill Lee in on what was going on with his father. If Helo shared similar intel about Lee with the old man, he never said and Lee never asked.

So the sound of someone knocking on the hatch to his quarters wasn’t unexpected anymore. Artemis mewled unhappily when Lee put an end to their current game, stuffing the pink shoestring in his pocket before hoisting her up on the bed with a squeal of protest that he recognized as mostly feigned. Lee knew her every bit as well as she knew him.

There were any number of people Lee expected to find standing outside his quarters: Mike, Trish, Helo. His father had never even figured on the list, however.

Lee stared at his father, unable to hide his surprise. For his part, his father stood there, posture stiff and unyielding, but Lee caught the flicker of nervousness in his eyes. He felt some of the tension drain from his body at the realization that his father was just as ill at ease as he was.

“May I…” his father cleared his throat. “May I come in?”

Lee blinked, his mind operating sluggishly. “Of course,” he replied, belatedly remembering his manners. He stepped aside to grant his father entrance.

Lee closed the hatch and leaned against it, waiting, as his father’s gaze scanned the room, taking it in. Lee could almost imagine him ticking off details: the cramped space, the single chair, the small desk littered with papers, the stacks of law books that occupied one entire wall.

“So, this is where you live,” his father said, voice neutral.

“Yes,” Lee replied, equally neutral.

His father made a non-committal noise then turned to where Artemis was sitting, watching the entire exchange warily. At least she wasn’t growling. Yet anyway.

“I’d heard you had a new lady in your life,” he said with a hint of something close to amusement in his voice.

Lee shrugged. “She’s stood by me through a lot.”

It was the first thought that came to mind and Lee winced when he saw the way his father stiffened. He hadn’t meant that as an accusation. He sent a cautious look in his father’s direction, praying he hadn’t frakked things up already. His father had finally come to see him, had finally taken the first step. He didn’t want to ruin things before they even began.

“I suppose she has,” was all he said.

“Dad…”

“The president tells me you’ve been doing good work, heading up the new commission for civilian rights,” his father said, as if the previous exchange had never taken place. “She says that there’s been a noticeable improvement in getting requisite goods and services out into the general populace, that fleetwide morale is higher than it’s been since we fled New Caprica.”

Lee nodded. “That’s what I’ve been told.”

“You’ve done a good job under difficult conditions.”

“Thank you, sir.”

His father nodded then looked Lee directly in the eye. “I just wanted to let you know that…and…that I’m proud of you, son.”

Lee’s eyes widened, in surprise and even a little wonder. He’d waited so long to hear those words, he’d long ago abandoned any hope that his father would ever value him as anything other than a pale imitation of himself that he couldn’t quite believe his own ears. Perhaps his father understood that because he repeated the words.

“I’m proud of you, Lee.”

“Thanks, Dad,” he said, his voice sounding breathless to his ears. He offered his father a hesitant smile and was pleased when he saw it returned.

“I don’t want to keep you from your work,” he said, gesturing towards the chaos that was his desk. “I know a lot of people are depending on you. But I thought…perhaps you could come to dinner next week? We could talk.”

Relief washed through Lee, leaving him dizzy. “I’d like that, Dad. Thanks.”

He watched as Artemis walked over to his father and butted against his hand in invitation.

“You can bring your girlfriend if you like,” he said, scratching Artemis between the ears until she dropped on her side in a quivering pile of contentment. “I bet she has some stories to tell.”

“Dad!” Lee choked out, laughing.

“I’d better get going.” His father turned towards the hatch.

“Dad?”

“Yes, son?”

“It’s…it’s good to see you.”

His father smiled. “You, too.” With that, he exited Lee’s quarters, leaving Lee and his kitten alone again.

Lee scooped Artemis up, snuggling her against his shoulder. He rubbed his cheek against her furry head and smiled.

“I think everything is going to be OK now, ‘Mis.”

“Mewr.”

Lee couldn’t agree more.

Finis

And if anyone was wondering, this is what Artemis looks like. Wouldn’t they make the cutest couple? Lee+kitten=OTP!4eva!