Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. No copyright infringement intended.

"I do my thing, and you do your thing. I am not in this world to live up to your expectations, and you are not in this world to live up to mine. You are you, and I am I, and if by chance we find each other, it's beautiful."

— Frederick E. Perl

Chapter 1

"Bill?" She thought she had heard him come in, but maybe she had just imagined it. He seemed to be working more and more these days, aimlessly wandering the ship, soaking in every last moment that he could. She knew it was hard on him, watching Galactica wither away piece by piece. Watching her wither away.

"In here." His voice betrayed the weariness lurking beneath the strong facade.

Laura found him. He was sitting on the couch, uniform jacket partially open, staring blankly at the wall in front of him. There was a small crack coming down from the ceiling.

"Did you talk to Tyrol?" It was more of a statement than a question. She knew about their meeting was this morning, and on some level, she already knew that the inevitable had happened.

"Yeah."

"How'd it go?" Laura took a step further into the room, still keeping a cautious hand on the wall for balance.

"He wants to use cylon technology to fix the ship. Some sort of plaster material. He wants to cover the walls with it. You should see the stuff." Bill snorted under his breath, but Laura could hear the anger start to boil, rising slowly from the back of his throat. "You should feel it on your fingers. It's alive…like it's part cylon itself. We put that on the walls and Galactica…she –" his voice cracked and he brought his eyes up to meet Laura's. "She won't ever be the same."

"No. No she won't be Bill. But this is the only way you're going to save her."

He was silent. Leaning back into the leathery cushions of the couch, he sighed and closed his eyes. Laura made her way toward him, trying her best to navigate around the haphazard stacks of books that lined the floor. Finally, she reached him and lifted herself into his lap, legs straddling his torso. He looked up, questioning her motives, knowing full well that she was in no condition for that sort of…physical activity.

Laura smiled, placing a hand against his cheek and gently stroking his craggy skin. She leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on his forehead. Slowly, she worked her way around his entire face, and with each kiss, she could feel the tension begin to drain out of him like water from a bathtub. Their lips met briefly before Laura pulled back. No passion. She couldn't bear to have him wanting something that he couldn't have.

Leaning forward again, she continued with her soft kisses, this time gently tracing his jaw and working her way down his neck. She pushed his uniform jacket down so that that both shoulders were exposed. Nibbling gently, Laura massaged each muscle, using her teeth to do what her shaky hands could not.

She slid forward in his lap and brought him closer. Breasts pushed against his chest, she could feel the slow rhythm of is heart beating steadily beneath her own. Reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck, Laura ran her fingers through his hair, weaving slowly through the gentle waves. She traced small circles across the back of his head. Relaxing into her touch, his arms slid completely around her waist, and he pulled her closer still, their two bodies melting into one. He breathed heavily against her neck, and she felt several hot tears singe her skin.

All that this man had been through these past couple of years and now this…she knew it was almost too much for him to bear. Perhaps he could survive losing her as long as Galactica was still here, but without the ship, she wasn't sure.

"Bill," she whispered.

"Hmmm?" His face was still pressed against her collarbone. Laura felt his arms heavy against her back, but managed to break through them, bringing herself up into a sitting position. He reluctantly met her eyes, quietly rebuking her for moving away from him.

"Come shower with me," she said. He tilted his head in response, and Laura swore she saw a tiny smile dance across his lips. He moved forward and she slid off his lap, cautiously planting her feet on the ground. Legs wobbling, it took a couple seconds to find her balance. A slight twinge pinged through her right hip, and she winced.

"You okay?" Bill asked, standing up behind her. She reached out her hand in response, letting her fingers entwine effortlessly with his. This was as good as she was going to get. Pulling gently, she led him toward the head. She couldn't give him what she knew he needed, but she could give him this. And maybe, that was good enough.