Disclaimer: I have no claim to any of the characters, the show, or the movie (One Special Night) that inspired the plot. The copyright holders would never profit from this and neither would I.

Author's Note: Thanks to everyone (including lurkers) for taking the time to read, review, and follow this story. I'll try to make it worth your while. A million thanks to my beta Trixxification!

Chapter Two: The Ride from Hell

Once again waiting in line for the obnoxious desk attendant, Laura's mind was clouded with doubt. Accepting a ride from a complete stranger was probably the worst idea in the worlds. Just because he was a military commander didn't mean he wasn't some kind of pervert.

Since the line showed no signs of moving soon, Laura figured she had enough time to call her assistant. Someone needed to know her whereabouts in case this turned out to be a spectacularly bad idea. The phone rang until the voicemail tone beeped in her ear.

"Hi, Billy. My car broke down at the hospital. Don't worry, I'm not asking you to come get me. Commander Adama offered to give me a ride and I'm just desperate enough to accept. I'll call you once I get home - I left my files on the Easton proposal in my apartment. We can coordinate our morning meetings for tomorrow once I have them. Stay safe tonight. This storm is really something. Bye."

Satisfied with the message, Laura glanced over her shoulder for a second look at her newfound chauffeur. He was leaning casually against a wall with his eyes closed. Laura's hesitation mellowed as she watched him run a hand over his face. His exhaustion mirrored her own. Based on nothing but instinct, Laura decided that Commander Adama was no threat to her. He was rude and arrogant but not malicious.

The whiny voice of the hospital attendant snapped Laura back to reality.

"Can I help you? Again?"

Laura bit her tongue to stop several four-letter words from coming out of her mouth. "Yes. I wanted to make sure Dr. Gillespie had my number on file in case there's any change in my mother's condition." She quickly scribbled on a nearby notepad. "Judith Roslin in Room 414. She's been having night terrors. I want to be notified immediately if it happens again - no matter what the time."

"Sure thing," The teenager took her note and filed it in a stack of other messages.

Laura gave the attendant a glare she usually saved for mouthy students and pompous politicians. He cowered slightly. "I'll make sure to tell Dr. Gillespie personally, Ms. Roslin."

"Thank you," Laura wrapped her scarf around her neck and made eye contact with the Commander. He gestured to the front door and she wordlessly followed him out of the hospital.


Laura was pleasantly surprised that the Commander's car was so clean. She half expected a mud-stained beater with torn seat covers and week-old fast food wrappers on the floor. In reality, his navy blue SUV was newly polished and the interior held no signs of litter or mysterious odors.

The drive had just begun yet it felt like an eternity. They were both so uncomfortable in each other's company that neither of them had spoken. The frosty silence inside the car dulled any relief they might have felt from the freezing cold outside. Laura considered turning on the radio but suspected their music tastes would spark another argument.

"Why were you all the way out here today?" Adama finally broke the silence.

"Why?" Laura replied defensively. His question caught her off guard.

"Are you always this evasive?" He asked hotly.

"Do you always answer a question with a question?" Laura snapped.

"I could ask you the same thing!" Adama grunted.

Laura huffed and looked out the passenger side window. She could barely see anything for the thick, swirling snowflakes. "I was visiting my mother." Laura spoke lowly. "She's been ill for a very long time."

"I'm sorry," The Commander said with sincerity.

"Thank you," Laura whispered. "What about you? Why were you at the hospital?"

Adama's pause was so lengthy, Laura wondered if he even heard her. "My son was injured in a flight accident."

"Oh! I hope it wasn't serious." She turned to face the Commander.

"No…not this time. Just a few burns and some bruised ribs."

"How awful. I hope he gets well soon." Laura was curious what Adama meant by "not this time" but didn't want to pry.

"Thanks," Adama said flatly, his eyes never wavering from the road. Their conversation was at another stalemate. Laura mindlessly toyed with a loose button on her coat as she stared out the window yet again.

Fifteen minutes passed but it might have been a lifetime. The insufferable quiet was beginning to make Laura feel ridiculous. They weren't teenagers for Gods's sake! A political official and a high-ranking military commander should be able to carry on a civil conversation for an hour. Before Laura could think of something to say, a road sign caught her eye.

"Aren't we going to Caprica City?" She blurted without a second thought.

"Of course. If the frakkin' snow would let up, we'd be half way there by now," Adama sighed heavily.

"But the last road sign said Hestia was ahead in 20 miles. Hestia is South of White Willow, not northeast toward Caprica City."

"We're nowhere near Hestia." The Commander mumbled.

"I think we're going the wrong way," Laura said, unwilling to let the matter rest. "We probably took a wrong turn somewhere because of the storm."

"I know where I'm going, all right?" Adama snapped. "I didn't become a Commander by ignoring my sense of direction."

"And I didn't get into political office by cowering when bullheaded men argue with me," Laura stated firmly. "We need to turn around."

"Like Hell," Adama grumbled.

"Then pull over at the next rest stop and let me out."

"Have you lost your mind?" He turned to finally meet her eye.

"No, I'm quite rational. I'd rather wait for a cab than spend the rest of the night trapped in a car with an unreasonable driver." Adama held her gaze for a beat. If Laura weren't so annoyed with him, she would have spared a second to admire his eyes. They were a curious shade of blue.

"Fine. Have it your way," The Commander growled. He maneuvered the SUV through traffic and off the freeway as fast as he could in the rising snow. For a moment, Laura feared he was going to drop her off at some Gods forsaken gas station. He surprised her by plowing through a slushy residential street. His hunched position over the steering wheel radiated resentment, daring her to say "I told you so."

Please let this night end soon. Laura prayed silently.


Frakking politician. Bill cursed to himself. He knew it was wrong to blame Roslin for his own mistake, but damn if it didn't make him feel better. Bill had noticed the Hestia road sign too. His pride prevented him from admitting out loud that he had made a wrong turn. A Fleet Commander ought to be able to tell his left from his right, even if he was distracted by an infuriating redhead.

The drive had been frustrating enough already. Everything he said seemed to upset Roslin and she appeared to know exactly how to push his buttons in return. Bill wasn't trying to antagonize her; he just desperately wanted to figure her out. For how much she irritated him, she also fascinated him. From Roslin's rigid posture to her sharp tongue, Bill could tell the latter feeling wasn't mutual.

He mentally slapped himself. Concentrate on the road, Old Man. This is what got you in trouble in the first place.

The countryside roads were even more snow-bound than the freeway, but it was the quickest way to get back on the path to the city. Long stretches of woods on both sides of the road replaced any visible buildings or houses. Streetlights were becoming few and far between as they reached the more rural parts of town. The darkness was all encompassing and the snow continued to fall without mercy. Bill was thankful the blizzard hadn't reached full force yet. Once the wind picked up, it would be impossible to drive.

"Watch out!" Laura screamed.

Alarm bells buzzed inside Bill's head, not unlike what happened in a combat situation. The SUV was barreling toward a fallen tree in the middle of the road. There was no doubt that he and Laura would be seriously injured if they hit the tree head-on. Deep ditches on the side of the road were Bill's only option. He hit the brakes and swerved the car toward the embankment. The tires slid wildly on the ice and snow-covered street. Bill heard Laura scream again as he aimed the front of the car into the ditch.

Bill's head thumped against something hard and his back wrenched in protest as the SUV came to a sudden stop. From the awkward angle, it was obvious that the car had slid so far into the ditch that the back wheels lifted off the ground. The darkness was overwhelming without the headlights.

"Are you all right?" Bill asked immediately.

"I think so," He heard a feminine voice reply.

"You're not hurt?"

"No, I'm okay," She paused. "Maybe a little whiplash, that's all. Are you okay?"

Bill released a breath he didn't know he was holding. "Yeah, I'm okay. My back is sore but that's not unusual on a good day."

She laughed nervously. "Well, as long as you're sure you aren't hurt…"

"No, I'm all right. Hurt my pride more than anything else. Should've seen that coming."

"There's nothing you have done," Roslin said. "Visibility is getting worse by the second."

"Yeah, about that," Bill muttered. "If we don't get out of here soon, the snow is gonna bury us. I'll have to hike out to one of the farmhouses nearby and call for help."

"Don't be ridiculous!" She exclaimed. "I can call for help on my phone." He heard but couldn't see Roslin digging around in her purse.

"Oh, no," Roslin groaned. "No, no, no!"

"What's wrong?"

"I must have left my phone at the hospital," Roslin heaved a defeated sigh. "All of my contacts are in that phone. I'm lost without it."

Bill only grunted in response. He couldn't relate.

"Can we use your phone?" She asked.

"Don't have one," He murmured.

"Not even for emergencies?!"

"I'm not a fan of technology."

"And look where it's gotten you!" Roslin cried. "If you'd had a GPS, we wouldn't have gotten lost in the first place. Now we're stranded out here in a blizzard because you don't have a phone."

"I didn't ask for any of this!" He growled. "This has been a day from hell and I'll be damned if I let you blame me for it."

Bill threw open the door and braced himself as a blast of frigid air punctured the waning warmth in the car.

"Stop! You can't go out there. You'll freeze to death before you ever get anywhere!"

"Well, we can't stay here and freeze to death waiting for help!" Bill glared at his obstinate passenger. "Trust me, nobody's gonna come to dig us out before we suffocate. The car will be buried in an hour at most."

"Then, I'm coming with you." Roslin said decisively. She had pried open her own door and crawled out before Bill could argue with her.

Bill zipped his coat and gingerly exited the vehicle. The wind howled, biting at the exposed skin that his coat couldn't cover. Bill was reminded of his childhood when his mother would admonish him for leaving the house without a proper hat.

He found Roslin standing near the fallen tree that had caused their predicament. He could tell from her outline that she was looking for something in the distance.

"I think I see a light through the woods," She shouted over the wind. "I saw a house back there just before we went off the road."

Bill thought better of voicing the snide comment that was on the tip of his tongue. He'd bet 20 cubits that Roslin was seeing things. There was no way she could have seen a house through all that snow, especially if it were on the other side of the woods.

"Let's go already. I'm freezing," Roslin hollered as she started hiking toward the tree line. Seeing no other options, Bill followed her lead and trudged into the woods behind her.


About four paces into their trek, Laura realized this was going to be far more difficult than she had anticipated. Blowing snow obscured her already limited vision. The freezing wind cut through her like a knife; her coat and scarf was no match for the arctic chill. Worse yet, her heeled boots were practically useless in such harsh weather. The snow was deeper than her knee-high boots and the heels balanced precariously on the frozen ground underneath.

Still, she was determined to find the little house she'd glimpsed from the road. Though she hadn't seen it clearly, she was sure that it was close to the accident site. Laura couldn't allow herself to believe she might have been mistaken. She and the stubborn Commander would be in serious danger if her instincts were incorrect.

"This is not how I planned to spend the evening," The Commander grunted at her side. Though he had decidedly more appropriate footwear, Adama did not seem to be handling the hike any better than Laura.

"This isn't exactly my idea of a good time, either, Commander," Laura said with a wry edge. Her breath formed visible puffs in the air.

"Bill."

"What?" She turned toward the Commander before weaving around another tree.

"After what we've been through tonight, we might as well be on a first name basis," He puffed from the exertion.

"All right, Bill," She tried out his name for size. "But only if you agree to call me Laura."

"I think I can accept those terms, Laura." From the cadence of his voice, she could tell he was smiling.

A shiver quickly traveled up Laura's spine at the sound of her name on his lips. She mentally berated herself for such foolishness. The cold had made her shiver, nothing more.

Once they had lumbered a few more feet into the woods, they reached a clearing at the foot of a hill. Laura peered into the distance. A faint glow caught her attention and she squinted to get a better look.

"There it is!" Laura yelled, pointing at the crest of the snow-covered hill. A tiny orange light glistened in the darkness. She could just make out the silhouette of a house.

"I guess I owe you 20 cubits," Bill said as they began their trek across the clearing.

"What do you mean?"

"Uh…I kinda wanted to bet you that this house didn't exist," He admitted.

She raised an eyebrow at him even though he couldn't see it. "Well, I guess you're not a very good gambler."

To her surprise, he chuckled. "No, I left that to Starbuck."

Poised to ask him to define "Starbuck", Laura's question transformed into a yelp of surprise. Her boot slipped on a patch of ice beneath the snow. She twisted awkwardly on her right ankle and landed hard on her right hip. The snow did remarkably little to cushion her fall.

"Gods, are you all right?" Bill was instantly at her side. She had fallen too suddenly for him to help prevent it.

A throbbing pain in her ankle stopped Laura from giving a perfunctory "No, I'm fine" response.

"I don't know," She answered honestly. "My ankle…"

"Can you stand?" He asked with genuine concern.

"I can try," She said. Laura's entire right side felt stiff. She could already tell that a large bruise was forming high on her hip.

Laura shifted her weight as she hesitantly tried to get back on her feet. Bill gently grasped her left arm for support. She leaned into him, grateful for a helping hand.

Once she was upright again, Laura held her right foot a few inches off the ground. The dull throbbing hadn't stopped. In fact, it was getting worse by the second. The soft black leather boot had never felt so constricting or uncomfortable. Laura dreaded walking on it but knew she had to try.

Biting her bottom lip, Laura took a cautious step with her right foot. A stabbing white-hot pain shot from the bottom of her heel all the way up into her hip. The unexpected ferocity of it almost caused Laura to topple over again.

"Oh, Gods," She cried, trying to regain her balance. Bill steadied her with a hand at her elbow and on her back.

"We're not that far from the house," He said. "I can carry you over there and get some help."

"No, you don't need to do that. I can make it." The last thing Laura needed tonight was to have the Commander look after her like some sort of damsel-in-distress. She held her breath before taking another tenuous step. The shooting pain returned in force, knifing through her right side.

"Ouch!" A breathless whimper escaped her lips. It felt like every tendon, every nerve in her leg was on fire.

Without another word, Bill carefully scooped Laura off her the ground by placing an arm under her knees and behind her back.

"Is this okay?" He asked cautiously.

Laura met his eyes. "Yes," She was touched by his gentleness despite their adversarial relationship. A sudden thought caused Laura to stifle a rising giggle fit. He literally just swept me off my feet! Gods, how ridiculous.

"What's so funny?" Bill said as he began the climb up the hill.

"Nothing, really," Laura chuckled. "I always get the giggles when I'm anxious."

He only grunted in response.

Laura wrapped her arms around Bill's neck and nestled into his chest. She knew it probably wasn't a good idea, but she was so cold that she didn't mind sacrificing her dignity for more warmth. Laura could feel his chest huffing and puffing with the exertion of carrying her. A sharp twinge of guilt settled in the pit of her stomach.

"There's the house," He rumbled near her ear.

Startled from her restless thoughts, Laura looked over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of their oasis. A light post casted a faint orange glow on the snow covered property. Evergreen trees dotted the landscape, creating a path along the edge of the woods. Once the house was in full view, Laura realized that it was actually a log cabin.

"It's wonderful," Laura whispered.

"Not bad at all," Bill agreed. He carried Laura across the yard and up to the small wooden porch at the front of the cabin. An overhang protected the porch from most of the sleet and snow, leaving the path to the doorway fairly free and clear.

"You're sure you can stand?" He asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine. I am grown woman," Laura replied. She hadn't meant to sound ungracious. She was just preoccupied with the romantic notion of a secluded country cabin. Hopefully they weren't about to interrupt someone's intimate get-away.

"Could have fooled me," Bill said before setting her down on the porch. Lucky for him, she was too exhausted to retort. Unfortunately for her, she still had to lean on his shoulder in order to avoid putting too much weight on her ankle.

Bill knocked loudly on the rust-colored door. There was no response from inside. Laura peered in through the frosty windowpane.

"I don't see any lights on inside," Worry tinged her voice.

"Maybe they lost power," Bill knocked again. "That light post is probably an emergency back-up."

A well of anxiety bubbled up inside Laura's chest. When they had approached the cabin, none of the windows had held any signs that someone was home. The curtains were not drawn and no lights were visible from outside. Had they come this far only to be locked out of their only refuge?

"Bill, I don't think there's anyone here!" Laura didn't bother to contain her rising panic.

"There a garage on the other side of the house," Bill ignored her. "I'm going to go check if there's a door. Stay here."

Laura glared at him. "I wouldn't get very far even if I did try to leave."

Bill gave her a look before plowing through the snow toward the back of the cabin.

Thankful for a moment to herself, Laura leaned against a support beam on the porch. Her ankle was starting to throb again. She refused to entertain the thought that it might be broken. Stumbling the halls of the Caprica City Political Building on crutches was not a challenge she was prepared to tackle.

A loud thump from inside the house started Laura. She stood up straight and almost cried out in relief when the door opened. Her excitement melted instantly when she saw who had opened it.

"Bill!" Laura sputtered. "How did you get in?"

"I busted the window and opened the side door," Bill said casually. "They forgot to lock the garage door, so getting into the house was no problem. Found some flashlights in the garage too." He tossed one of the small plastic tubes to her as proof of his recent discovery.

Laura gaped at him. "Have you lost your mind?! What happens when the people who live here get home and find us?"

"They're not coming home. The house is completely empty. Plus there are no cars in the garage."

"This is breaking and entering!" Laura argued.

"No one is here," He said with growing agitation. "They can't mind a broken window if they aren't home."

"Yet!" Laura countered. She felt a slight thrill at the rise in color of Bill's face.

"Are you going to stay out in the cold arguing with me or are you going to get your ass in here?" Bill snapped.

Laura rubbed her forehead. The migraine that had started hours ago was threatening to come back with a vengeance. She hated the circumstances, but she wasn't stupid. They needed shelter. This was as good as it was going to get. Laura hobbled to the front door with as much dignity as she could muster.

Bill dropped his aggressive stance and moved out of the doorway. "After you," He said with a flourish.