Notes: This story takes place quite a few years before the attacks, I put Bill and Laura in their mid to late 30s at the time this fic starts.

Laura reaches out for the book she had come looking for, jerking her hand back when her fingers come into contact with anothers. She looks over at the person that had appeared next to her, her face registering a little bit of surprise, but mostly annoyance. The man pulls his own hand back, looking at her apologetically.

"Sorry," He says. Laura nods quietly taking in the reg blues he was dressed in. She usually left Caprica City for Fleet Week, but was stuck this year due to a coinciding assembly of the Quorum. She couldn't stand the amount of people and debauchery that took over the city. So instead of being able to retreat this year she planned on picking up a couple books and a heft of groceries so she didn't have to leave her apartment any more than necessary.

"It's okay. Take it," Laura tells him with a small professional smile. He was about the same height as she was in her heels, olive Tauron skin, thick black hair, and the most piercing blue eyes she'd ever come into contact with, "I've already grabbed a couple others."

"Are you sure?" The man asks as he plucks the title off the shelf.

"Of course," Laura assures him, "I'm honestly surprised they still have a copy, it just came out yesterday."

"I know. I've been looking forward to this installment…Grey Skies left on quite a cliffhanger and I need something to keep me company this week."

"It did," Laura agrees, her smile melding into a more personal one, a warmth spreading through her as he talks. She shifts her books to one arm and holds her hand out, "Laura."

"Nice to meet you. Bill," Bill says as he takes her hand gently, shaking it.

"Not partaking in the festivities this week?" Laura asks, referring to his previous comment of needing company. Bill shakes his head with a rueful smile.

"Not my cup of ambrosia anymore."

"Mine either…I usually leave for the week," Laura commiserates with him. She reaches into her bag and pulls out a business card and a pen. She scribbles on the back of it before handing it to Bill, "If you happen to finish this week and want to talk about it. Give me a call."

Bill takes the card from her hand, looking at the phone number written across the back before flipping it to the front. He tucks it into the cover of the book and smiles back at her.

"I might just take you up on that."

"Good," Laura smiles before heading for the checkout counter. She pays for the book she had already picked out and leaves the store, a small smile on her face.

The next day during her lunch break Laura was surprised to find Bill waiting for her when she returned to her office with a box of sushi and a coffee.

"Hi," Laura greets as she continues on her way into her office, setting her items down on her desk before turning to look at Bill. She offers him a warm smile as a girlish feeling spreads through her chest at the thought of him coming to see her.

"Hi," Bill holds out the book from the day before out to her, "I finished this morning. I thought you might want to take a read before we discussed."

Laura takes the book, brushing her fingers over the cover before smiling bemusedly.

"You finished already?"

"It's an enthralling read," Bill offers, "Even better than Flickering Flame in my opinion…"

"And?"

"I wanted to see you again," Bill admits sheepishly, "Hence the guest appearance instead of a phone call."

Laura's smile widens and her cheeks start to color. She wraps her arms around the book, pressing it to her chest.

"Well…if you found it so enthralling, I don't think a dinner conversation tomorrow would be too quick of a turn around?" Laura proposes.

"I think that would be nice," Bill agrees with a nod and a warmer smile as Laura steps closer subconsciously.

"Well. You know where I work. Why don't you meet me here tomorrow? The assembly is supposed to be done by 5, so 530?"

"That sounds like a plan," Bill says, suppressing the want to reach out and wrap a hand around her slim hip.

"Laura, do you know where…" Laura steps back in alarm as Richard comes breezing into her office, pausing at the extra body there, his request trailing off as he looks between her and Bill, who snapped to attention.

"Mr. President, what can I do for you?" Laura prompts, setting the book down on her desk. Richard looks away from Bill to the red head.

"Um, do you know where the Berkner Report is?"

"I left it on your desk before lunch," Laura tells him, her tone decidedly more professional than the one she had used with Bill.

"Right," Richard says, looking back at Bill, "At ease, soldier."

Bill shifts his position and Laura steps back closer to the duo.

"Bill, President Richard Adar…Richard, Bill," Laura introduces.

"Commander William Adama, Galactica, sir," Bill clarifies more, shaking the President's proffered hand.

"Was there anything else?" Laura asks, looking at Richard with pointed eyes.

"No, thank you, Madame Secretary," Richard offers a slight bow in her direction before leaving the office. Laura offers an apologetic smile in Bill's direction.

"Sorry, we're still...," Laura trails off, waving a hand in the air before teasing him, "Commander?"

"I'm not about titles," Bill tells her, "But he is…"

"The commander in chief," Laura finishes with a small smile, "So tomorrow?"

"Yes. Tomorrow. 530. I will meet you here," Bill smiles and bids her a goodbye before leaving the office. Laura smiles to herself and bites her lip before going to her desk to eat her lunch.

Laura breezes into her office with a stack of files in her arm and her bag slung over her shoulder. She smiles apologetically at Bill as she deposits everything on her desk.

"Sorry, I got stuck on the way out. You haven't been waiting too long I hope?"

"Not at all," Bill says, standing from the couch. Laura quickly sorts through everything, depositing a few things in her bag before taking a deep breath and smiling at Bill.

"Ready?"

"If you are."

"Let's get out of here before someone else tries to stop me," Laura tells him, as she takes his proffered arm without a second thought and leads him out of her office, "What are you in the mood for for dinner? We can get something out, take something back, I can cook…"

"The secretary of education knows how to cook?"

"I do. You know I could have said the same thing about the viper pilot knowing how to read," Laura threatens teasingly, "My apartment is just down a couple blocks. Why don't I throw something together?"

"I think that sounds lovely," Bill comments, letting her lead the way down the Riverwalk and through the streets.

Laura unlocks her front door and turns the light on as she lets Bill in. She drops her bag and kicks her shoes off before shutting the door.

"Make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink?" Laura offers as she heads for the kitchen, "I have wine, a couple beers, some whisky…water…"

"Wine sounds nice," Bill comments as he peruses her bookshelf.

"Caprican Red orrrrr Aerilon White?"

"Dealers choice," Bill tells her with a smile. Laura grabs the bottle of red down and gets out a wine key starting to uncork it. She fills a couple glasses with the deep red liquid, bringing one over to Bill.

"Thank you," Bill says with a smile before taking the glass from her hands. Laura smiles back and takes a sip of her wine.

"Find anything good?"

"We have very similar tastes," Bill comments as he swallows a drink from his own glass.

"What's your favorite?" Laura asks as she moves back towards the kitchen.

"Of what you have or in general?"

"In general," Laura clarifies as she starts getting things out to make dinner.

"I have quite a few, usually mysteries. You?"

"I don't know if I could pick a single one either. I enjoy mysteries for the most part, some poetry, historical fiction," Laura tells him. Bill abandons the bookshelf and walks over, taking a seat at the counter.

"Is fish okay?"

"Definitely. Not much fish on a battlestar," Bill grins. Laura smiles back and starts to cook.

"You said Galactica right? Yesterday?"

"Yeah, she's a beast, but I wouldn't want to be on any other ship. It's where I started after I graduated flight school."

"What does a commander do all day on a battlestar with no cylons to fight?" Laura inquires with an arched eyebrow as she slices garlic.

"We stay prepared, patrol, run CAP, bide our time," Bill comments as he takes another drink of wine, "An entire race doesn't just disappear from war without plans to come back."

"You think they'll come back?"

"Sooner or later," Bill says definitively.

"What about when you're not on Galactica?"

"What about it?"

"What do you do? Besides read of course."

"I generally try to see my kids. On occasion take a real vacation. Most of the time I end up working on a model ship I've been building for a couple years…doesn't come along too fast working only a couple days every few months."

"You have kids?" Laura asks, trying to hide the surprise in her voice.

"Two, Lee and Zak. Lee is graduating high school this summer, Zak is a couple years behind him."

"So you're…divorced?"

"Mmhm…it's been…five six years I think," Bill shrugs, "What about you?"

"What about me?"

"Kids, ex husbands, current husbands, current boy friends," Bill grins, swiping an olive off of the counter and popping it in his mouth.

"No," Laura shakes her head as she tosses some things into the hot pan on the stove. She rinses off the cutting board and sets it in the sink before getting out the fish, "Never really found the fit."

"Skeletons we aren't close enough to share?" Bill muses.

"I'm sure we both have some," Laura says with a small amount of bite as she puts the fish skin down in the pan. She covers it with a lid before sliding it into the oven to cook.

"I'm sure we do," Bill acquiesces. Laura washes off her hands and dries them off before getting out some salad ingredients.

"What is your call sign?" Laura asks, trying to turn the conversation back to more positive topics.

"Husker," Bill answers, accepting her redirection. Laura hums with a smile, a slight blush coming to her cheeks.

"How many hearts did you break to get that?" Laura grins. She tops off both of their glasses with wine before starting to put their salads together.

"How did we start talking about me? I thought we were here to talk about a book," Bill teases lightly, "Or did you not finish your homework, Madame Secretary."

"Oh, I finished my homework, Commander," Laura says as she leans against the counter behind her, taking a sip from her glass. She mulls the wine over in her mouth before swallowing, "I don't know, it was different than Grey Sky…not in a bad way necessarily, just different…I don't know that it did too much to wrap up the cliffhanger."

The two spent the rest of their evenings together that week, usually at Laura's apartment, talking about anything and everything over drinks and something she had whipped up for them. By the time Friday rolled around it didn't seem like they had just happened upon each other in a book store on Monday.

Bill looks away from his model ship as he hears the phone ring. He sets down the tweezers in his hand and picks the ringing device up, answering it.

"Adama."

"Hi, it's me," Laura greets from the other end, "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"Not at all," Bill assures her as he leans back in his seat, putting his feet up on the table.

"I was wondering if you wanted to go to the Bucs game tonight. I, um, happened upon some tickets and thought it would be fun," Laura asks, a lack of confidence making its way into her tone, "They're playing Picon…I think it's a prelim for the cup…"

"I think that sounds great," Bill says, a smile lighting up his face as he hears just the slightest breath of relief on the other end, "What time?"

"Um, the game starts at 7. Do you want to meet me at my apartment at 530? I need to get changed before we go. We can take the rail to the stadium."

"Sure. I can do that."

"Alright," Laura smiles to herself, "I'll see you at 530 then."

"See you then," Bill says before hanging up his phone, finally realizing he had never given her his number. Working in the government does have its perks, he muses with a grin as he gets back to his ship.

Bill knocks on Laura's door a little before 530 dressed in jeans and a fleet pyramid jersey. Laura sticks her head out of her bedroom when she hears the taps.

"It's open!" She calls out. She waits a moment to hear the door open before speaking again, "Make yourself comfortable, I'll just be a couple more minutes."

"Take your time," Bill replies, shutting the door behind himself. He pours himself a small glass of wine from the bottle they had opened the night before and takes a seat on the couch, picking up the discarded newspaper from the coffee table. He sips his way through the wine as he peruses the front page, looking up when he hears Laura's bedroom door open. His eyes widen slightly and he swallows hard as she comes out in a pair of form fitting jeans and a large but worn Caprica Buccaneers jersey. Laura pulls her hair away from her face and clips it up before smiling at him.

"Hi," She greets, taking a seat next to him to put her shoes on.

"Hi," Bill manages to croak out. He sets his empty glass and the newspaper down before sitting up straighter.

"How was your day?"

"Good for a Friday," Laura tells him as she stands before offering a hand out to him, "What about you? What trouble did you find today, Commander?"

"None at all," Bill grins, taking her hand and standing up from the couch, "Ready to go?"

"Very," Laura smiles, grabbing her purse before they leave the apartment. She locks the door behind them and takes Bill's arm as they head for the rail station close by.

"I wouldn't have pegged you for a Pyramid fan," Bill comments as they walk.

"My dad and I used to watch games together all the time when I was a kid," Laura clarifies, "I still enjoy them, I just very rarely get to go anymore. I was surprised I even found my jersey when I got home this afternoon."

"It looks nice on you," Bill says without thinking, his ears immediately coloring. Laura smiles and nudges into him.

"My 20 year old worn out Bucs jersey looks nice on me?" She teases. Bill clears his throat as the color deepens, mustering out a nod.

"Well, thank you," Laura replies, swiping her card for the rail. The two climb the stairs to the platform and stand next to the edge, waiting for the next train. Laura watches Bill, grinning as he tries to avoid her gaze.

"What's your favorite team? I suppose I didn't ask."

"The Stallions, actually. Though the Panthers might come in a close second," Bill says with a teasing grin. Laura narrows her eyes at him.

"Those are fighting words, Commander."

"Oh I am very well aware, Madame Secretary," Bill replies with a raised chin and a firm look, before dissolving back into a grin. He steps closer to the edge as the rail pulls into the station. The couple stand to the side as the cars empty and Bill holds his arm over the sliding door, letting Laura in first. The redhead takes a seat by the entry, patting the spot next to her for Bill. Bill sits down after the doors close, resting his hands in his lap.

"I can't believe I'm taking a Panthers fan to the game," Laura grumbles.

"Maybe I can be persuaded of the Bucs predominance."

"Oh I will persuade you by the end of the night, even if I have to beat you up," Laura threatens with a smile and a wink. The two sit in a comfortable silence as they ride the few stops to the arena, the car filling to the brim by the time they get there. Bill stands when they make their stop and holds a hand out to Laura, working their way through the crowd and down to the arena's gates. Laura gets their tickets out and hands them over to be scanned before handing Bill his as they walk inside. She takes his hand in hers and guides him to their seats in the front row, mid arena. They sidle their way down the row before sitting down in their numbered chairs.

Laura tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear as she looks around a little bit before focusing her eyes on the players participating in the team work outs. Bill watches Laura's face for a moment before turning his own eyes down to the field, it was going to be an interesting evening.

By the halfway point of the game the entire stadium was on their feet, cheering and jeering the progress of the game. Caprica and Picon were scored close together, 129 to 123, respectively. Though from Laura's reactions you would have thought the Bucs were losing badly.

"Oh, come on! That was a frakking foul and you know it!" She yells as she slaps the side of the arena's interior wall. Bill nudges Laura's shoulder and hands her a beer with a bemused grin. Laura blushes as she takes a drink before setting it on the ledge.

"Sorry…I get a little invested sometimes."

"It's kind of adorable," Bill tells her, taking a seat as the teams leave the field for half time. Laura sits down in her own, taking another drink.

"I don't know that I do adorable," Laura wrinkles her nose.

"Oh you do," Bill assures her.

By the end of the night Caprica had pulled ahead considerably, smashing the Panthers by 50 points. Laura hands Bill the Bucs t-shirt she'd bought him with a teasing grin as they make their way to her apartment from the rail station.

"Admit it. They're good," She says.

"They're good," Bill concedes, draping the shirt over his shoulder as he takes her hand. Laura threads their fingers together as they walk. Once they step in front of her door, Laura turns to look up a Bill, keeping their fingers tied together.

"So."

"So…" Bill smiles as he looks down at her.

"You leave tomorrow."

"I do."

"Will I be seeing you again? Or was this just a fantastic week?" Laura asks, a measure of hope making it's way into her voice.

"I would very much like to see you again," Bill tells her quietly, using their latched hands to pull her closer. Laura brings her hand up to rest on Bill's chest, feeling his heart beat through his shirt. Her hand strokes back and forth a couple times before stilling, her green eyes locking with his.

"It will be about a month before I'm back," Bill warns.

"I'll still be here," Laura smiles.

"Good," Bill leans down and presses his lips to hers. Laura's eyes slip closed as she hums gently, kissing him back. Her hand tightens in his shirt, as her mouth opens to his tongue's prodding. The two indulge in their slow and deep kiss for a while before they break. Laura pants gently as Bill drops his forehead against hers.

"That was nice," Laura murmurs.

"It was," Bill agrees equally as quiet. Laura continues to hold onto Bill's shirt, enjoying the closeness. After a small while she lets go, smoothing out the fabric. She gently kisses him once more before stepping back.

"Call me, when you come back."

"Yes, sir," Bill smiles. Laura unlocks her door and steps inside, winking at him before closing the door. She presses her back to the door as a smile plays at her lips. Bill stands on the other side, a silly smile playing on his own lips before he starts to walk back to his own apartment a skip in his step.

[TBC]