A/N: I'm really sorry it took so long. This chapter just refused to be written. And I'm not too happy about how I ended it. But, I don't know, you tell me. Thankyou very much for all the reviews!

For almost an hour she'd been playing with her hair. Up in a clip, a few strands framing her face. Laura tilted her head to one side, assessing her reflection. She sighed and removed the clip, shaking out her long hair. Long auburn waves hung down around her shoulders. She smiled, it was exactly what she'd been trying to achieve. As she reached out for her lip gloss she paused, her hand hovering in the air. Slowly she brought her hand closer to her face and noticed the slight shake. She was nervous. In all her sixteen years, Laura Roslin had never been nervous.

"Are you alright, baby?" Evangeline stood in the doorway, watching her daughter with interest.

"I met a boy," Laura said quietly. "He asked me out and I said yes. I didn't even think to tell you. But look, I'm shaking." She turned to face her mother and held out both her hands.

"Laura," Evangeline took the child's hands in her own, before pulling her into a hug. "You're nervous, sweetheart. It's perfectly normal. I threw up before my first date with your father."

"Mom, please don't make me think about throwing up." She mumbled against her mother's shoulder.

"What time is this date?"

"Six," Laura pulled away, running her hand through her hair. "He's coming here to pick me up at six."

"Well you only have half an hour. Fifteen minutes, if he's any sort of gentleman." She kissed her daughter's cheek. "Do you want some help?"

"Yes, please." She smiled allowing her mother to take over, although a little confused when she ignored her small pile of make-up. "Mom, my things are right…" Laura fell silent as her mother picked up a make-up bag.

"We can't have you going on your first date looking like a little girl," Evangeline smiled, brushing hair out of her daughter's eyes. She sighed and gently began to apply the make-up to Laura's face. "You've grown up faster then I expected you would, but your old enough to make the right choices and act responsibly."

"Mom, nothing's going to happen. Bill wouldn't try anything, unless I was comfortable with it, I'm sure of it." She frowned and closed her mouth obediently as her lipstick was applied.

"The question is, what are you comfortable with?" Evangeline muttered. It was a rhetorical question, and Laura knew it. But her mind began to race through possible scenarios. "I have no doubt that you will always make the right choices in your life, sweetheart. When you get older, you'll learn to put other people first. But right now, you come first. Try to be responsible." She finished her work, brushing excess powder from the tip of her daughter's nose.

"I'll make no promises," Laura said quietly, shaking her head. "But I will try."

"Good girl," Evangeline smiled brightly. "Now, you're not wearing your slippers, are you?"

--

She'd still been trying to decide on shoes and a jacket when he arrived, fifteen minutes early. Evangeline had taken matters into her own hands and sat him down with a cup of tea while they waited on her daughter.

Surprisingly no threats were made, and the teenagers were almost pushed out of the tent when it was time to leave. Laura giggled as they walked, hand in hand, towards the open fields.

"If you don't tell me what we're doing, I might just turn around and go home." She warned, but the smile on her face could not be hidden. The fact that she had no idea what he'd prepared only served to make it more exciting for her.

"You trust me don't you?" Bill asked with a sly grin, pulling her closer to him.

"More than I should trust someone I only met three days ago," With grace she turned, and began walking backwards in front of him as they spoke. "Why aren't we leaving the Carnival? Because there are some foods I prefer not to eat here. They don't exactly scream 'date' at you."

"I promise you, we're not eating Carnival food," He laughed, pulling her back to him as they stopped by the fences. "Look." He turned her around to look out over the field in which they had met. As the sun slowly set, she could only just make out the tops of the four lanterns in the distance. Before she could say anything, Bill had half climbed over the fence and was offering his hand to help her up.

"I wonder if the military know they have such a romantic in their crew," She smiled as her feet touched the ground on the other side. Long grass licked at her ankles, but it didn't seem to bother her. His hands slid around her waist, and her mind drew a blank as he softly kissed her. Her broad smile broke through as she pulled away. "We're never going to get all the way out there if we keep doing this."

"You weren't that hungry were you?" He asked playfully, receiving a slap on the shoulder in return. "Come on then, before the sun goes down on us, and we fall down a rabbit hole. Having to spend the rest of our lives covered in dirt, trying to tunnel our way out."

"Oh you really know the way to a girl's heart," She giggled as they began their trek. As they neared their destination, she couldn't help but notice he'd set everything up in the exact spot they'd met. "It's perfect." Laura whispered, clasping his hand a little tighter. A picnic blanket was laid out neatly, held down in the corners by four silver lanterns. An extra blanket sat on top a picnic basket in case they got cold, while the picnic basket itself was somewhat overflowing with half-hidden delights.

"Peter helped me set it up," Bill admitted as they sat down together. "And obviously, he kept you away this afternoon."

"I'm going to have to thank him," Laura smiled, watching eagerly as he opened the basket. "This really is… wow." She couldn't remember how she was going to finish her sentence, and decided to just give up on words for a while until she became more comfortable with her situation.

"If we were older we'd be having champagne." His tone was slightly apologetic as he handed her a champagne glass, filled with apple cider.

"I think this is better," She admitted, sipping her drink as he sat beside her. "I like how much you've put into this. It's really, very sweet."

"If you keep calling me sweet, we're going to run into a few problems."

"Okay then," Laura grinned wickedly as she put her glass down and inched away from him. "…Sweetheart." She added with glee, getting up to run as he lunged at her. She ran as fast as she could across the field, and to him she seemed to fly. Just skimming along the ground with a grace no mortal could comprehend. With a glance over her shoulder, she squealed and made a turn towards the beach. He was closing in on her. Before she knew, his fingers had encircled her wrist. She was pulled backwards, falling against him. There was a sudden burst of giggles from Laura as Bill lost his footing, and they both fell to the ground.

"Have I mentioned how much I love your dress?" He asked playfully as he rolled them over, allowing them to lie together in the long grass.

"I do believe we missed that part of the conversation." Laura continued to giggle as his fingers danced across her stomach. He traced the dark blue patterns that mixed the light blue fabric, never-ending patterns that resembled the familiar mark of the ancient tribes. A soft chuckle escaped his lips as he could feel her stomach move beneath his fingers, even as she tried to contain her giggling fit.

"It really is a beautiful dress," His hand slid up, stopping just below her breasts, and he pressed a kiss against her lips. The sound of her giggles dissipated, as his hand trailed down to rest on her hip. The dress flared out at her waist, creating a thicker barrier between his skin and hers. "It accentuates some of your best attributes, and brings out a blue tint in your eyes." He whispered against her lips.

"You're know…" Laura sighed as she gently pushed him away. "You're blocking my view of the sunset." A cheeky grin spread across her lips, and he rolled onto his back.

"Wouldn't want to do that now," He tried his best not to smile, but found it to be too hard a task. He turned his head to look at her. They had missed most of the sunset, and soon all the light they'd have would be from the lanterns and the Carnival, but he was content just to watch her laying there. She rested with one hand below her head and one against her stomach. Her auburn hair glistened in the dying sunlight, and her eyes seemed to expertly reflect the content smile on her lips. "You're so gorgeous." He hadn't intended on verbalising his thoughts, but relaxed when she rolled onto her side and rested her head on his shoulder.

They continued to watch the clouds roll by until the sunlight completely disappeared, leaving them in darkness. The sounds of the Carnival seemed to echo across the fields surrounding them, yet neither of them seemed to notice it. They were content to just lie together, neither saying a word. It was perfect. She felt so warm and safe as she snuggled up against him, his hand resting on her hip. Breaking the silence, her stomach growled and the both broke out laughing.

"Maybe we should eat," She giggled, burying her head in his shoulder to try and stop the hysterical outburst. It didn't help that he found her situation all too amusing. Her giggles dyed away and she pushed herself up. "I think the whole 'lying around' thing will work better when we've eaten."

"I can't argue with that." Bill chuckled. He stood up and held out his hand to Laura. They walked hand in hand back to their picnic.

--

Again she'd found herself with her head resting on his shoulder. They'd pulled a blanket over themselves, trapping the warmth of their bodies. Her fingers played with the buttons on his shirt, occasionally pausing to dance along the fabric instead. They'd spoken of dreams and nightmares, friends and family, the past and the present. Everything was up for discussion, if only to ensure they didn't have to part.

"There's millions and millions of stars," Laura sighed after a long silence. "Did you know they're dead by the time we see them? They shine so brightly, and stretch across the galaxy even in death."

"One day I'll take you up there."

"One day?" She smiled and her hand paused on his chest. "Is that a promise?"

"Of course," Bill said quietly, taking her hand in his own. "One day, when I'm the Admiral, I'll fly you to the edges of the galaxy and we'll watch the stars take form."

"I'll hold you to that." She whispered, closing her eyes.