This was written for the A/R fic exchange, for boudiceaborn, who asked for a story where Bill is the romantic/sexual aggressor set in any season other than the 4th. Not sure how closely this fulfills the request but I'm pretty happy with how it turned out otherwise.
Baby, It's Cold Outside
He'd watched them for several minutes before getting close enough for his presence to become known. He told himself he was just getting the lay of the land and that wasn't entirely a lie. It also wasn't entirely the truth.
He had always found a sort of comfort in watching people from afar. He didn't get the opportunity much – people tended to notice when he was near, especially now when he was the face of Galactica, the Fleet's sole protector – but when it presented itself he always took it. Out of everything he'd seen in his life, humanity itself was still the strangest. These people more than most.
First, of course, was always his son. His angry, irrational, driven, brilliant son. Bill had always been so proud of this young man, even when they couldn't be in the same room together without fighting. Even when he found out that Lee had held a gun to Saul Tigh's head. He'd had to smile, albeit with a bitter twist, when told what Lee had said. You can tell my father that I'm listening to my instincts. Just like that boy to take Bill's advice and twist it yet still come out with integrity. It was a talent he was glad more people didn't have.
Nearby was another dear face, one he had feared he would never see again. Starbuck. Kara. Always moving, like something bad would happen if she didn't. Sometimes he thought she might be right, though more often then not her activity was what led to the trouble in the first place. But that was half of the reason everyone loved her – well, not everyone, but him at least. Watching her now, he couldn't even begin to express how glad he was that she was all right and she was here.
There were other familiar faces there, most not as beloved – in particular, Tom Zarek, terrorist at large. He watched them too, with attentive suspicion. He'd learned the hard way that you could be betrayed by anyone. And he still didn't know why…
And then there was Laura Roslin. The last time he'd seen her, she'd been behind bars. Bars he put her behind, because she'd suddenly revealed herself to be the greatest threat to the Fleet they had both sworn to protect. Or at least so he had thought at the time. Seeing her here, he wasn't so sure. She looked cold, tired. Worn out from a journey filled with lose and blood. They had discovered Elosha's body early on. He wondered at the toll that death had taken Roslin, wondered at the toll every single death took on her and that number on the whiteboard she held so dear.
He heard footsteps behind him and knew the rest of his party were close. He wouldn't be able to stand here watching much longer, not without having to explain himself. Still, his gaze lingered on the woman for another moment, as more words rang through his head: this time, they were his own.
Truth is, I'm the o nly o ne that can reach out to Roslin. It's always been between us anyway. We may have gone down separately, but we're gonna come back together. Hopefully on our feet. But even in body bags, we're gonna be coming back together.
"Commander?"
He looked towards the sound and there was Billy, Roslin's renegade aide, come here with him to build peace and understanding.
Bill gestured towards the group. "Let's go."
He didn't know what to expect when they arrived but he'd had some ideas. The raised guns weren't a surprise but he was relieved when they went down upon his order. This relief continued as they seemed as eager as he to let bygones be bygones and put their new, ragtag family of survivors back together.
He had never ever expected a Cylon.
The moment he understood her he understood what people meant when they said their blood boiled. Never had he felt such rage, not during the Cylon War, not even during the attack. But of course, he had never felt so betrayed as he did by Sharon Valerii. And her she was, standing before him like everything was all right, when it would never be all right again.
He'd said before that the Cylons were humanity's fault; that you can't hide from the things that you've done. But he had never done anything but cherish this woman, holding her dear. He had done nothing to cause this.
And so he would have killed her, if his body hadn't failed him. But it did and he didn't. Maybe one day he would be relieved by that fact.
Gradually, things calmed down. He went his way; the Cylon went hers, with Lieutenant Agathon at her side. Helo, alive again but in bed with the enemy in every possible way. Just another grievance on that long list, which was looking more and more like an insurmountable obstacle.
Somehow, amid the chaos, he ended up under a makeshift tent with Roslin. They sat silently for a long time, watching the weary world around them. Watching the children play. That thought caught him by surprise, though he hadn't failed to notice before how they formed an almost-parental unit. Except, of course, without any of the side benefits. That thought surprised him even more, though that didn't stop him from smiling at it. It was ridiculous to think of anyway. He'd proven long ago that marriage didn't agree with him, no matter what the ring on his finger – a reminder of that epic failure – said to the world.
Finally she stirred, turning towards him with questions in her eyes. For the moment, he pushed away any distracting thoughts and got down to business.
"You interfered with a military mission, and you broke your word to me."
She paused, thinking for a moment. "It's the second part that really bothers you, isn't it?
Like his speech at the decommissioning ceremony, he had rehearsed these words for some time, trying to get them just right. And just like at the ceremony, in the end he threw out the script at the last moment, going with what felt right instead.
"Laura, I forgive you."
The moment he said that, he knew it was true. He's suspected before but it wasn't until he saw the surprise and wry amusement on her face that he really realized he believed what he said.
"Thank you, Bill, but I didn't ask for your forgiveness."
It was the first time she had ever called him by his first name, though of course she was only following suit. Still, it was a nice touch.
"You have it anyway."
The conversation meandered from there, touching upon a number of subjects. Eventually they noticed the light beginning to dwindle and stomachs beginning to rumble. Bill was about to give the order to begin preparing a meal when Lee did it for him. Leadership had always suited his son, perhaps because taking orders so often didn't.
It got dark fast on this planet, faster than he remembered on Caprica, not that he had spent much time planetside in years. And with the darkness came the cold, a biting chill that went right through every layer of clothing he was wearing. Someone suggested that they build fires but Starbuck quickly shot that idea down…with help from the Cylon. Bill hated to admit that the machine was right about anything but logic forced him to admit that the risk of detection was too great.
And so he found himself back under the tent with the President – no, the former President. Roslin, or whatever she was now.
Laura.
The wind began to blow, cutting even deeper to the bone. He suppressed his shiver; she did not. The thought that struck him then made him smile and hesitate, wondering what she would do if he were to share it. He decided to take the risk to find out.
"It's cold out there."
"It's cold in here, too." She was facing away from him but he could hear a wry smile in her voice. He managed to pull his eyes away from her for a moment, looking out into the darkness to see if there was anyone nearby. He wasn't exactly thrilled at the idea of an audience; however, if anyone was there, they weren't making their presence known. He continued on his course.
"Maybe we should do something about that."
That got her attention. She turned around and he saw the same expression that had met his declaration that he could dance.
"And what exactly do you suggest, Comma-…Bill?"
He took a step closer to her. Her eyes widened slightly but otherwise she didn't move. "There's always the old standard shared body heat," he said softly.
She actually seemed to consider it for a moment, then shook her head. "I don't think that would be wise."
He had to agree but right now that wasn't stopping him. For too long he'd been doing the wise thing, the logical thing. The mission here to Kobol wasn't wise; it was right. And maybe so was this.
It's always been between us anyway.
"You could do worse."
She laughed before finally taking a step back. "Don't think I haven't," she told him with a smile.
He paused for a moment before filing that away under information to be considered off-planet, when he had time to consider what exactly she meant by it. But whatever his final conclusion on that was, her overall message was clear. He turned and headed towards the bag where some extra blankets were kept. He laid a large one on the ground, trying to add some sort of padding, then passed one of the smaller ones to Laura. They both sat down, an appropriate amount of space between them. Time passed in companionable silence and the moment from before was seemingly put aside.
At least until another blast of wind hit than, colder and more vicious than any of those before it. He heard her sharp intake of breath, followed by the clicking of tooth on tooth.
"You all right?" he asked.
"I've been better," she admitted. She shifted in the dark. "Maybe I should take you up on your offer after all."
He turned to look at her, finding her eyes on him. He'd always found her expression hard to read and that was doubly true now, with only the moonlight on her face.
"Are you sure about that?"
Her only reply was a slight hum, before she shifted again, moving closer and closer, until their bodies were almost touching. "Only if you are," she whispered.
He was. He lifted his arm and wrapped it around her body, pulling her close. "Better?" he asked as her warmth came crashing over him.
"Much." She rested her head on his shoulder and he could feel how frozen the flesh of her ears had gotten. And, once again against his better judgement, he took a moment to inhale her scent, a touch of freshness underneath the sweat and blood and tears.
He liked it.
His mind began to wander. It had been such a long day, long enough that it barely seemed possible that only this morning he had woken on Galactica, prepared to leave them all behind. Lee, Kara, all those deemed disloyal. Laura. And now here they were, together again.
It's always been between us…
He closed his eyes, even though he was sure neither of them would be sleeping much tonight. But even so, he knew it would be a little bit warmer now. And not just tonight but the day that followed and the day after it…every part of him said that these days would be better than those that came before them.
He wondered how much of it would be because of her.