PART FOUR
Season Three, A Day in the life, and onwards.
"The cancer's back."
It was a simple stark sentence, but it carried so much weight. There was no question of not telling him this time. No, Bill Adama was the very first person Laura had come running to. He had stood in utter shock for a few seconds, much as she had when Jack Cottle had said the very same words to her. Bill looked to the floor, needing to clarify his thoughts. When his head lifted Laura was taken aback by the fierce emotion burning through his eyes.
"Marry me," he said passionately, his voice catching on the words.
Laura was hit by a moment of deja'vu, and stood puzzled by his sentence. This was not the reaction she had expected - maybe a hug, a pat on the head, a 'there, there, you'll be fine' - something along those lines. Not marry me, certainly not from the man she was already married to anyway! It may only be a title but neither of them had ever thought about removing it.
Their story was a bitter tale of missed opportunities and bad timing, ironically they had never been happier or more like a couple than when she had been dying of cancer the first time, Laura agreed to the marriage, somewhat selfishly because she hadn't wanted to die alone.
Those last few weeks of her life, as she had known they would be, had been painful but what she hadn't expected was the pleasure, Bill had been wonderful, he had held her, stroked her hair, run off to get glasses of water, anything she needed or wanted he would get. He had never complained of the burden he had taken on, he was always there for her.
Then she had been… well she couldn't say cured anymore could she but the cancer had receded and she had to take on the mantle of leader again. Just as he had accepted his role as husband, he once again accepted the role of her military leader and truth be told they never spoken about it.
Ironically Bill had brought up their time on New Caprica just the other day; the conversation was imprinted on her brain clearly.
"Do you ever think about the times much on New Caprica?" Adama had asked, out of the blue, fingering the book she had just given him.
"I try to think about the good times, yes I do," she said honestly.
"One particular memory stands out in my mind," he said smiling slightly, "You were wearing a really bright red dress. Said you wanted to build a cabin."
She smiled remembering the meeting, "It was Baltar's Groundbreaking ceremony. I got a little silly that night."
Bill looked down at the floor nodding his minutely, she thought, he seemed a little disappointed by her answer, "You ever wonder what would've happened if the Cylons hadn't have come back?"
This was new... are we actually going to talk about us, Laura wondered, "I think given Baltar and the terrain we couldn't have made a go of it. What about you? Do you think you would have stayed on Galactica? Or do you think you would have settled?"
"It's pretty hypothetical, isn't it?"
Such a safe answer. Laura nearly sighed out loud in frustration, at what stage had they become so cagey with each other, which one of the disappointments had hit so hard they avoided even thinking about them.
"It is. Until it isn't," she laughed at her silly words, "Did I just say that?"
Bill smiled widely, "It's worth it just seeing you laugh like that."
He continued in a more serious weary tone, "We've been at war so long sometimes we forget what we're fighting for. Raise our kids in peace, enjoy one another's company. Live life as people again."
"Like that night on New Caprica, that's really what we are talking about here now, isn't it?"
She remember his warm body against hers as they lay on those sandbags, not the most comfortable of places but she wouldn't have swapped it for a palace, it was the closest they had been since those weeks of illness on Galactica.
"That, and... Other times..." Bill said rather wistfully.
She could help asking, "So if the Cylons hadn't come back?" It was a question that had burned through her for so long.
Bill smiled sadly and said, "But they did. We have certain responsibilities."
Laura smiled, it always came back to that didn't it, and responded with more humour than she felt, "Yes, we do, sir. And uh, I will be back in a few days, and if you'd like, we can... talk more about that night."
She walked over to the hatch and turned suddenly before saying with certainty, "Bill? waiting for him to lift his head, "The answer's yes. I absolutely would've built the cabin."
As she walked away from the room her thoughts drifted back to New Caprica, she remembered the conversation Jack Cottle and her had the morning after that night with Bill on the sandbags.
She had been a little unsure of Bill's feelings at the time, the good Doctor had quite literally spelt it out for her and once she'd got her head round the situation and the excitement! She had started to make plans for the future and they all included one William Adama, but those plans needed Bill on the ground, not as the Admiral of the fleet and as Baltar's mental state deteriorated, his paranoia kicked in and the Admiral found it harder and harder to get onto solid ground. Laura smiled sadly as she thought back, that had been her biggest mistake, she hadn't wanted to make things more difficult for him by announcing all her hopes and dreams for their future, no, she had thought they would have plenty of time when he was allowed to retire but that never happened, the Cylons happened and Bill was forced to jump away.
She always had hoped that he would be back, but the ache she felt deep down at the distance that now separated them was huge. At least when he circled above her head she could imagine him looking down upon her. Now she was truly alone and for the first time in so long he wasn't by her side.
She was brought back to the present as Bill came forward and stood directly in front of her.
"Laura, I can't continue with this any longer, watching you but not touching, standing by your side but not lying with you, if you don't feel that way too, then tell me, Laura, Tell me."
She shook her head, unprepared for his words.
"We have let this mission dictate the way we have lived our lives," he said in desperation before continuing on more fiercely, "I refuse to allow that to happen anymore, I refuse to ignore my feeling towards you and I refuse to step away from you ever again."
"I do," she said in a mere whisper, looking up at him with unshed tears in her eyes. "I do feel that way, I love you, Bill, I always have."
He raised his hands to take hold of both her arms, "I'm sorry…" he said his voice breaking, "I have been such a coward."
"No," Laura tried to interject.
"I have, I should have done this a long time ago, but I was scared of the answer you would give me."
She reached forward and placed her finger on his lips to stop the recriminations, "Ssh," she said, after all she was no innocent in this.
They leant forward together and they kissed gently for the first time. Bill stepped away suddenly, to Laura's regret.
He only took one step back though and to her surprise took hold of left hand and said emotionally, "Will you marry this foolish, frightened old man... who needs you more than he can bear to say... who loves you, even though he hardly knows how?"
Her free hand whipped up to her mouth at the words and a startled gasp left her lips. She looked through tear filled eyes as Bill stood waiting for her answer. Afraid that her voice would let her down she nodded her head and stepped forward to hug her wonderful husband and husband to be.
The End.
Well that's it folks, hope you enjoyed!
