Title: Stories
Author: csiAngel
Rating: K+
Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica. Except on DVD.
Summary: It's time for the complete and utter insane self-sacrifice to end. They just need a gentle nudge to make them see that.
A/N: This is a sequel to my story 'Juliet'. It will make more sense if you've read that.
Dedication: for bsgroxmysox who asked for this years ago. I'm so sorry it took so long. I hope you like it.
… … …
Juliet Simsin had been in teaching long enough to know when she should, and should not, believe what the children told her. And in a fleet this small, with only so many things to talk about, it was even more crucial that she took most of what they said with a pinch of salt. It was inevitable that the children would pick up on the gossip being shared by their parents, but, not fully understanding it, they would put their own spin on it. They would talk enthusiastically to her, to each other; it would be written in their stories, depicted in their drawings. It was entertaining; it was sweet. But it was easy for Juliet to forget that the children did not only know what they heard: They saw things for themselves. And were often more observant than she was.
Two weeks after the opening of their school room on Galactica, Juliet was reminded of this fact while reading the stories the children had been writing. She had asked them to base their tales on something they had seen recently, expecting stories about cakes or the corridors of the Battlestar, or space. There were plenty of those. But, a handful, written by an older group of girls, shared a common impetus. And it was only as she read the second of these stories that Juliet realised exactly what had been used as inspiration. A smile crept onto her lips and she placed the story to one side. It was good. Very good.
… … …
"And you've had an invitation to the Galactica school room to see some work they've been doing," Tory told Laura as they went through Laura's upcoming schedule.
Laura's eyes lit up. This was the first item in twenty minutes that she would actually be pleased to have on her itinerary. "How lovely," she beamed. "Can we fit it in?"
"Miss Simsin's letter does say that the date for your visit is negotiable. I could try to schedule it for a day when you've already got a meeting on Galactica."
Laura felt a wave of disappointment at that idea, much preferring using it as a reason for an additional visit. Tory must have seen this in her expression because she continued, in an apologetic tone. "The next few weeks are quite full. I could look at -"
Laura shook her head and Tory stopped. "No. No. It makes sense to arrange it for when I'm there. Please see what you can do."
Tory nodded and made a note of it.
"Was that the last item?" Laura asked.
"It was. Though I do have some information from Clive," Tory smiled.
Laura sat forward in her chair, leaning her arms on her desk. She no longer cared how eager she appeared. Tory knew she liked to listen to the fleet gossip and Laura suspected that it made Tory happier to be able to bring her silly news amidst all the important stuff. "What's the latest?"
Tory laughed before relaying, "You haven't been to Galactica this week…"
That wasn't news to Laura. She hadn't had time. But she had had the occasional five minutes to sit and think about Bill; to 'feel' the heat of him standing close to her; to remember his breath across her ear; the deep rumble of his voice as he had whispered to her. She missed him. They had spoken on the phone a few times but it was nowhere near enough. It just wasn't the same. Hearing Bill echo her own thoughts regarding how the rumours weren't true "yet" had made it nigh on impossible for her to push all thoughts of anything more than a platonic relationship with the Admiral out of her head. There was an air of possibility now whenever she thought about him and it filled her with a giddy anticipation she hadn't felt in a long time. Perhaps it was for the best that she had been far too busy to spend time on Galactica. The reasons why she shouldn't pursue a relationship with Bill hadn't changed.
"… because," Tory continued, "you think that keeping your distance will throw everyone off the scent."
Laura let out a laugh. If only.
"But, you're not fooling anyone," Tory concluded, amused.
"If only all these people could write," Laura remarked, "We could have a wealth of outstanding literature come out of the fleet."
Tory chuckled and began to gather her papers and folders together. "You have the Aerlon representative in five minutes," she told Laura.
"Thank you, Tory."
With a smile, her aide left, and Laura's gaze travelled of its own volition through the porthole and over to Galactica.
'You're not fooling anyone.'
So, the fleet thought it was certain now that something was going on… And it didn't seem to be objecting.
She shook her head to cut off that train of thought before it even got started. Turning her attention to her agenda for her next meeting, she tried not to let her mind wander back to finish what it had begun.
… … …
Juliet watched with amusement as a smile crept onto Bill's lips. He quickly forced it away but she could guess which part of the story had prompted it.
Knowing he was nearly finished, she tried to pull her own smile under control. He wouldn't appreciate the knowing smirk, although the paper in his hands implied one anyway.
She understood the reasons why Bill and Laura were dancing around a relationship - despite rumour to the contrary, she knew that they still had not dared admit their true feelings. Neither of them had explained it to her but she had known Bill long enough, and seen him with Laura often enough now, to figure it out for herself. Plus, the words 'Admiral' and 'President' were a large clue. But, if old friends couldn't give you a nudge in the right direction, who could?
Finishing reading, Bill put the story on his desk in front of him and fixed his eyes on Juliet. "A good piece of writing," he commented.
Juliet nodded, going along with this truth-avoiding topic. "A future novelist there, I think."
Now Bill nodded. "Or a journalist."
Smiling, Juliet forced a frown. "And waste that imagination?"
"Oh I don't know, some of our journalists have fantastic imaginations," Bill responded, "And use them in their stories."
"There's always been a celebrity gossip element. You were just never a celebrity before."
"I was quite content with that."
Juliet smiled, indulgently, at him.
"Go on," Bill prompted after a brief silence. "You're bursting to say what you came here to say."
Juliet's expression was all innocence as she replied, "I just thought you might like to see how the story ends."
" 'And they all lived happily ever after'?" Bill quoted.
"Why not?" she grinned.
"I think you know why not," he told her, the seriousness of his tone echoed in his eyes.
Juliet leaned forward in her seat, folding her hands together and resting them on the surface of Bill's desk. "I think I know how amazing it was to meet Rob; how amazing it is to have him, to have such happiness amidst all the disaster… And I know I saw that smile then. Take the chance, Bill… What have you got to lose?"
… … …
Laura had a distinct feeling of deja-vu when the raptor door opened to reveal Bill standing on the hangar deck waiting for her. She smiled automatically and endeavoured to push aside the excitement she felt at seeing him for the first time in far too long.
"Madam President," he smiled at her, a mysterious glimmer in his eyes. "Welcome aboard." He held out a hand to support her down from the wing of the vehicle.
"Thank you, Admiral," Laura responded, curious as to what his expression was about. "How are you?"
"All the better for seeing you."
Laura shot him a look that said, "Flatterer," and he chuckled, a low sound that reverberated through her body as he linked their arms together.
"I didn't realise you were involved in the school visit," she told him as they walked out of the hangar bay. She did have a meeting scheduled with Bill but Tory had managed to fit in the visit to the school beforehand. She hadn't expected to see him until later. Perhaps this ambush was better, she hadn't yet worked herself up to being ridiculously nervous, yet excited, to see him. Which meant that this moment actually felt nice, rather than filled with tension and expectation.
"No, I actually have a meeting with Saul. I just wanted to say hello."
Her heart fluttered at that so she reprimanded it. "And it couldn't wait?"
"I really feel like you're pleased to see me," he muttered.
Laura laughed and squeezed his arm, resting her other hand on it also. "I'm sorry. I am very pleased to see you. It's been too long."
"It has," Bill agreed, then, after a second, he glanced at her, his eyes sparkling in that enigmatic way again, and he repeated, "It has."
This time Laura's heart responded by thundering in her chest, a rapid rhythm that left her almost breathless. So much for lack of expectation. She had to break their eye contact, hopeful that watching where they were walking was a viable excuse.
In her peripheral vision, she saw that Bill's gaze remained on her a second longer before he too faced forward again. A moment of silence followed and Laura cursed herself for feeling so awkward. She had spent weeks wanting to be this close to Bill and now that she was there she couldn't just relax into it.
"Juliet said the children are very excited for your visit."
Bill's comment broke into her thoughts and prompted a wide smile. "I'm excited to see them."
"You miss them," he observed.
"I do. There's something soothing about losing yourself in the world of children for hours each day. Even on New Caprica, surrounded by that damp, miserable landscape, the children could transport me away from it all."
"I should have gone into teaching."
The idea of Bill with a class of children trying to cling to his legs brought forth more laughter from Laura. "Now, there's an image."
"Yes. On second thought, maybe it's best I didn't."
"Oh, definitely," Laura smiled.
"But if you'd like to be transported away from it all this evening, Tory said I'm your last meeting: Would you like to join me for dinner?"
Laura managed to resist the urge to stop walking with surprise at his question. They had had dinner together before, it was hardly worthy of the reaction her body had offered. Maybe she just needed to spend some time with Bill so she could readjust to seeing him in person, rather than her mind being predominantly occupied with the thoughts and fantasies that had filled the void the last few weeks.
"That would be lovely, Admiral." His rank. Yes, using his rank would help sort her feelings out. She wanted to roll her eyes at herself.
"Good. I'll allow a couple of hours for our meeting -"
"That's optimistic. Have you seen the agenda?"
Bill's answer was a burst of laughter and the rest of the walk to the school room was spent discussing how Tory had ever imagined they could get through that agenda in one meeting.
When they arrived at the door, Laura was spotted by one of the children who announced her arrival with a squeal. Juliet looked in their direction and smiled, widely, then settled the class down before approaching.
"Madam President; Bill. It's good to see you."
Laura would have said that the way Juliet looked at Bill was slightly more pointed than the way she looked at Laura, but she couldn't understand any reason why it should be, so she put it down to her unsettled emotional state.
"Please call me Laura." It wasn't the first time she had asked Juliet to drop the formalities but it seemed there were still situations in which her new friend felt that it wasn't appropriate. She could understand that, but she planned to persist. "And thank you for inviting me."
"It's our pleasure to have you here. Bill, I wasn't expecting you."
"I was the President's welcoming party," Bill explained and, again, a look passed between the two of them that Laura found unusual. If the whole 'jealousy' issue hadn't been resolved weeks ago, it would have been rearing its head right now.
"I should get to my meeting with Colonel Tigh. Laura, I'll see you later." Bill smiled at Laura and then nodded to Juliet. Her responding smile was closer to a smirk but Laura didn't have much time to ponder it before she was ushered into the room and the excited chatter began.
… … …
"In the corner of the room, where they thought no one could see them, King Adam leaned forward and whispered to Princess Rosie…"
Laura's eyes widened, but she quickly hid the surprise. Juliet, however, had already seen the glint of recognition. Laura's gaze remained on Amelia, who was reading her story with a smile of pride, obviously confident enough that it wasn't possible to tell who her main characters were based on.
"The Princess told him that she loved him too and now they didn't care if everyone knew. He kissed her and the people at the party cheered. And they all lived happily ever after."
Amelia lowered her paper and smiled, shyly, first at Laura and then at Juliet, as the other children applauded.
Laura cleared her throat before congratulating Amelia on her work and thanking the children for inviting her to hear their stories.
Juliet cringed when one of the younger children called out that it had been "Miss Simsin's idea." Juliet met Laura's eyes with an innocent smile and was relieved to see the President laugh and shake her head.
Having known Bill for a couple of decades, Juliet was fairly sure that she would get away with her meddling where he was concerned. Laura Roslin was a different matter though. The two of them had only been acquainted for a few weeks, and it had only been four weeks since Laura had found assurance that Juliet was not competition for Bill's affection. In that time, they had begun to get to know each other. Laura was keen to keep apprised of Juliet's work in the school room and enjoyed hearing stories of Bill's younger days. But, not-so-subtly intervening in Laura's relationship with Bill could have been crossing a line. She had decided, though, that it was worth taking the risk. After all, that was what she intended to tell Bill and Laura to do, she ought to practise what she preached.
Of course, she had needed a different approach for Laura. She felt comfortable enough to hand Bill a copy of the story and then offer her words of wisdom. She had thought she probably needed to be a little sneakier with Laura. The children had been delighted at the idea of inviting Miss Roslin to hear them read their stories - as she had known they would be. And so, Laura was here and Juliet had scheduled Amelia's story to be up last just in case things did not go to plan and Laura wanted to escape.
"Okay, well done everyone," Juliet interrupted the chatter that had broken out among the children. "Let's say thank you to President Roslin for coming to see us."
The children applauded Laura this time and shouted their thanks to her.
"You can have a ten minute recess and then it's time for numeracy."
Some children cheered, some groaned, but they all dispersed for their break. Juliet crossed the room to approach Laura.
"Thank you for coming," she said with a smile.
"Thank you for inviting me," Laura responded.
Juliet had expected that she and Laura would not discuss the topic of Bill directly. This activity was all about planting seeds of thought. The fact that Laura was going from the school room to a meeting with Bill would nurture them.
"The children miss you," Juliet told Laura, honestly.
Laura glanced away, looking upon the youngsters with a wistful smile as she admitted, "I miss them too."
"Easier to handle than the Quorum?" Juliet joked and Laura laughed.
"Definitely… Almost more mature as well."
The women shared a brief giggle, before Laura covered her mouth with her hand. Juliet was concerned for a second before Laura's next words made it clear she was not in distress.
"Oh! I should watch what I say. It might end up in a story."
A little surprised that Laura had mentioned the 'plot' directly, it took Juliet a moment to respond. In the mean time she was faced with an expectant look from the President. Her next comment needed to be good.
"They're very astute," she chose to say, keeping them on the safe ground of the children. So she was even more surprised when Laura took them back to the real subject at hand.
"Or we're not very subtle."
Juliet laughed before she realised she was going to, prompting a questioning stare from Laura.
"I'm sorry, Madam President, with all due respect, if you and Bill were any more subtle, you yourselves wouldn't be aware of your own feelings."
"That might be easier," Laura sighed, quietly.
It was then that Juliet realised that Laura probably didn't have anyone else she could discuss this with. She had never seen, nor heard, about the President having any close friends and, she supposed, Laura could hardly discuss her feelings for the fleet Admiral with her aides. As a trusted friend of Bill's, Laura obviously felt that it was safe to confide in Juliet. And the fact that Laura clearly wanted to confide in somebody assured Juliet that her little intervention had come at just the right time.
Juliet was about to speak when Laura straightened up and Juliet could practically see her pull her 'President' persona back around her.
"Speaking of Admiral Adama, I should go to my next meeting," she said, full of confidence and showing no signs of the nerves Juliet expected her to be feeling.
"Of course," Juliet smiled, marvelling at the strength of the woman before her and wondering if the plan was going to fall at this first hurdle. Bill and Laura were very well practised at pushing their feelings aside. Had she actually done enough to encourage them to stop that?
"It's been a lovely afternoon, Juliet. I hope we'll be able to do this again."
"We would be happy to."
Juliet let the children know that Laura was leaving and stepped to one side while they all said their goodbyes. She watched Laura's smile widen slightly when she talked to the older girls and felt reassured that, however much she might try to ignore them, Laura's feelings for Bill would be at the forefront of her mind during their meeting. Now she just had to wait.
… … …
"I think that's a good place to stop for dinner," Bill suggested, closing his copy of the notes for the meeting.
Laura closed her own folder and was about to agree when Bill added, "If your stomach rumbles any louder we won't be able to hear ourselves think."
Her words died in her throat; amused shock took over her expression. Bill just grinned at her before standing and moving to his phone to call for dinner. She narrowed her eyes at him but couldn't help the smile that graced her lips. She was surprised how relaxed she felt. She had expected this to be harder; expected to find it difficult to focus on work when the question of their deepening feelings had been so prominent in her mind. She had kept discussion of her visit to the school to a minimum when she arrived, quickly moving them on to the first item on the agenda. Evidently they were professional enough to keep work separate, and they had got through much more of the agenda than she had thought they would fit into a couple of hours.
She knew that Bill was bound to ask about the school room visit now that he had concluded the work portion of the evening. She also knew that she was quite capable of spinning him a tale that did not include any details of the key stories or Juliet's intervention. But, when he retook a seat beside her on the sofa, and was definitely closer to her than he had been before, she found that she didn't want to withhold anything. She realised that the root of her relaxation was finally spending time with Bill. She realised that she wasn't worried what might happen. She wanted to know what might happen. The reasons why she should be worried; why she should withhold information fought to make themselves heard, but Bill's arm came to rest along the back of the sofa, his hand falling just beyond her shoulder, and all that seemed to matter was that the fleet already thought they were together. And nothing had imploded, or exploded; no rebellion had ensued. Evidently they were the only ones worrying about the potential repercussions.
"So what did you think of the stories?" Bill asked her, with a slight smirk, and Laura realised that, actually, she was the only one worrying about repercussions.
She should have known that Juliet would have already approached Bill. And, upon finally realising that, it became clear that he had decided that the 'yet' of their relationship would come to a head tonight. He'd had longer to process it, so she reasoned that she shouldn't feel bad for coming to that conclusion only now.
Her nerves crept in but they were accompanied by quivers of excitement.
"You've read them?" she responded to his question.
"Juliet brought some by. She thought I should take a look."
"There are some promising writers there," she remarked.
Bill nodded his agreement. "And some promising gossip columnists."
Laura laughed. "True." Her laughter subsided when she shrugged, "We were in a public place."
"Yes we were."
Bill fixed his eyes on hers, quite pointedly, and suddenly - heart pounding and blood rushing through her veins - Laura was well aware of the fact that they were not in a public place now. She held his gaze, intensely. She considered responding with something profound; she considered leaning forward and capturing a kiss... She didn't once consider leaving. A smile drifted across her lips at that thought.
"What?" Bill enquired, obviously having seen it. His voice was deep, gravelly and seemed to reverberate in her heart.
Her smile widened as she answered him. "I have absolutely no inclination to run," she told him on a contented sigh.
His hand brushed across her shoulder. "I'm glad to hear it."
"I know all of the reasons why I should run..."
His thumb gently grazed the side of her neck and she shivered in response.
"... But I can't seem to get them to matter."
Now his hand cupped her neck and his thumb stroked her jaw. "Do you want them to matter?"
She leaned into his touch and closed her eyes, revelling in the sensation of allowing this, of finally being here.
"No," she breathed. And she opened her eyes to meet the grin that had taken over Bill's expression.
"Good," he beamed, "Because I can't get them to matter either. Everyone already thinks we're together."
"Yes they do."
"We're not fooling anyone."
Laura laughed as he quoted the same gossip Tory had relayed to her weeks ago. "I think we were fooling ourselves: Imagining that we could ignore this."
"We were trying to do the right thing."
"So, this is wrong?"
Bill leaned closer, his hand slipping from her shoulder to rest at the top of her back. He shook his head as he moved. "We were confused as to what the right thing was."
She smiled, "And now that we know?"
"We can do the right thing."
"Are you sure?" she whispered, needing reassurance that he knew what they were doing.
"We've proven we can be professional when we need to be."
"For a two hour meeting," she laughed.
He shook his head again. "I resisted the urge to kiss you when you stepped off the raptor."
Her eyes and smile widened at that admission. "Right," she stated, fully understanding the situation now. Evidently Bill had missed her as much as she had missed him.
"We can do this, Laura."
She agreed with a gentle hum as his fingers stroked her back and encouraged her closer.
"We -"
A pounding on the hatch interrupted that utterance.
Eyes still firmly on hers, he smiled. "That'll be dinner."
Laura nodded and tried not to feel disappointed when Bill stood to answer the door. She adjusted in her seat, adopting her presidential persona again, and she smiled at the Private who brought in their dinner. No doubt the young man would soon be interrogated as to who the Admiral was having dinner with. Although, everyone would have drawn the correct conclusion anyway. Laura found that she didn't mind one bit. In fact, all that she did care about was the fact that, this time, most - if not all - of what people would assume was going on would, actually, be going on.
When they were alone again, she stood and approached the table where Bill was arranging the plates. She stopped, just within his peripheral vision and waited until he turned to face her.
"Dinner is served," he proclaimed with a flourish and a grin.
Laura took a deep breath. "Can it wait for a moment?" she asked him.
He frowned at that, but his smile soon returned when she continued, "Because I don't think I can."
His smile turned positively predatory and he stepped towards her until they were only a few centimetres apart. "It can wait," he told her, resting his hands on her waist.
She slid her hands up his arms, settling them on his shoulders. "Good," she whispered.
"It seems two hours is your limit," he teased.
"I've been waiting a lot longer than two hours for this."
Bill's laughter vibrated against her chest as he eradicated the space between them. "Then we should stop talking."
"I agree."
Her agreement was partially lost when Bill kissed her. His lips took hers in a tender caress, at first, his hands tightening on her waist, pulling her closer. She went willingly, sliding her lips against his, deepening the kiss. Her hands wandered into his hair, stroking, scraping, holding him close. His slipped onto her lower back, his hold strong and secure and comfortingly familiar. As unspoken feelings and years of denial were poured into the moment, hands explored, hearts pounded and dinner was forgotten.
Laura didn't know how much time had passed when they eventually parted. They were both breathless but smiling uncontrollably and, truth be told, a little shyly.
"Worth the wait?" Bill murmured, stealing another kiss.
Laura took one of her own. "Absolutely."
... ... ...
Of course, stories about the two of them continued to circulate and Tory relayed each piece of gossip with increasing unease. Because, while some of them were obviously not true - and, in some cases, still physically impossible - others were more plausible. And, although Laura had not officially told Tory of a change in her relationship with Admiral Adama, something was different. And each time Tory had seen Juliet Simsin with Roslin and Adama recently, their friend seemed to sport a knowing - almost victorious - smile.
Tory knew that most of the gossip was a figment of somebody's imagination. And therein lay her discomfort. Most of it was speculation. But not all. And while she was happy for them, she'd rather not think about what might actually be true.
In fact, she thought it might be time to get out of the gossip circle.
THE END