"Starbuck has the President."

He ran from CIC, barely stopping to give Gaeta command of the room. He didn't stop running, and had nearly reached his quarters when he heard the shot. Bill missed a step, stumbled, nearly fell, but managed to save his balance and run faster. He reached the door at the same moment as Saul and Helo. They wore expressions of shock, whether that was from the shot fired, or Bill's appearance he wasn't sure.

No one stopped to think, but pushed into the Admiral's quarters, not sure what they would find. Bill nearly cried aloud when his eyes met Laura's. She was alive, unharmed, and so, he noted, was Kara. Pushing past Kara, he reached her, placing a hand on her shoulder, to reassure himself that she was really there.

"Are you all right?" He asked, his voice rough, wanting to say so much more. I'm sorry. You were right. I love you. I'm sorry.

She nodded, shell shocked.

"You better work on your aim because I'm not going to stop," Starbuck threatened. Bill's hand on Laura's shoulder pulled her back a step, as he moved to stand between her and his daughter, shielding her as he hadn't been able to do a few minutes before.

"Get her out of here," he growled, and the marines grabbed the screaming Starbuck, dragging her from the room.

"I'll see to it that she makes it to the brig," Saul said, pushing Helo out ahead of him, and nodding to Bill as he shut the hatch behind him.

Bill was motionless, until he heard a stifled sob from behind him, and felt the touch of a shaking hand on his waist. He turned slowly to face her, and at the sight of the tears streaming down her face, the adrenaline he had been running on vanished.

His arms wound around her waist as his knees gave out, and he sank onto the couch, pulling her down with him, into his lap. She went willingly, holding him as tight as she could in her weakened state, and tucking her head into the crook of his neck.

They were silent for a long time, she cried into his chest, his tears fell on her hair. He knew she felt them when she held him just a little bit tighter. Finally, she calmed, but his hand continued tracing patterns on her back, and she made no move to get up.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't want to think that she could be dangerous. I'm sorry that I left you vulnerable, I'm sorry that I wasn't here to stop her…"

"You were," Laura's voice was tired but audible.

"But…"

"Bill, who knows what would have happened next. I might have shot at her again. She might have taken the gun and shot me."

"Laura…"

"Nobody got hurt. You got here in time." She said softly.

"You…" He tried again.

"Shaken, but not hurt." She replied in the same quiet tone, cutting him off again.

"I should have been here to spare you that." He said.

"Stop it. Your job is not to babysit me." She lifted her head to look at him, and the look in her eyes prevented whatever response he might have had. "You're here now, and that's all that matters.

"Not to me. I should have been here when you needed me."

"I need you now. I need you to sit here with me until the nausea goes away. I need you to forgive me for shooting at your daughter, and I need you to understand why I did it. I need you to hold me, because you're warm and I'm not. I need you to just be here, because I don't know what I'd do if you weren't."

Tears glistened in his eyes again when she finished speaking. For once, he didn't argue, but placed a gentle kiss on her lips, before he wrapped his arms more firmly around her, and did exactly as she asked.