--
It had never felt so good to wake up in the morning. She felt so warm and considered not moving. The sun was only just starting to peek over the mountains and it occurred to her that she'd be expected to help with the tents. Laura sat up suddenly, reaching for her clothes. A hand grabbed hold of her elbow and she turned and smiled.
"Sneaking off?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No I was going to wake you," She replied, leaning back down to kiss him. "But I'm part of the Carnival family and everyone helps out. We have to be gone by midday."
"Will you be around to have lunch?" He asked hopefully, sitting up as she handed him his clothes.
"I think I can manage lunch," She slipped on her dress and grabbed her shoes. "Meet me at the gate by midday. Some of the kids stick around for a while."
"I'll see you at the gate," He promised.
"Hey," She knelt next to him with a bright smile. "Morning after and I still love you." She told him playfully.
"I love you too," He laughed, kissing her softly. "See you at the gate."
Slowly she pulled away from him, not daring to let go of his hand as she stood up. Their fingers slid against each other until only the tips were touching. With each move away from him she felt the chill of the morning air. They parted and he watched as she all but ran across the field.
--
It was eleven o'clock when they'd finally finished all their chores. Laura grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. Spending half an hour at the beach with the other kids wouldn't kill her, and she'd be back in time to meet Bill before she left. She smiled, almost bumping into Peter as she began her walk.
"Are you ready for some fun in the sun?" He asked playfully.
"You know you sound like an idiot when you say that, right?" She muttered, pushing him away from her.
"I only do it to amuse you Red," Peter laughed, and poked her in the shoulder. "So tell me what happened last night."
"I wasn't about to tell you this morning," She muttered with a frown. "So what makes you think I'm going to tell you now?"
"Brotherly intuition?" He replied hopefully.
"You're not getting anything out of me Thrace," She told him and began to giggle. "But last one to hit the water is buying the double chocolate sundaes when we get home."
"Go!" Peter yelled, sprinting off before she even realised he'd started.
"You're a cheat Peter!" She yelled as she ran after him.
--
As he stepped out of the shower, Bill stared at the mirror for a moment and smiled. A bite mark had been left on his shoulder. He couldn't help but laugh and had an urge to walk around with no shirt on all day, just to show it off. With a shake of his head he dried himself off and pulled on his shirt. It would be too disrespectful if he let people assume things about Laura.
Not something a man would do about the woman he loved.
Still only nineteen he had no right to consider himself a man, yet. But she was definitely a woman. She was strong-willed, elegant, and had a passion for life. He finished getting dressed and ran his hand through is hair.
"Bill, you spend more time in the bathroom than Ellen!" Saul yelled as he banged against the door.
"Well then why don't you go to her place," Bill yelled back. "She'd be out by now!" He laughed as he continued to check himself out in the mirror.
"You're an ass!" Saul yelled, getting frustrated with his friend. He was about to slam his fist against the door again when it opened. "About frakkin' time." He growled.
"Back off Saul," Bill frowned, as he pushed past his friend. "Learn some patience."
Watching his friend sit down on the couch in their small hotel room, Saul began to clap loudly and hoot. "William Adama, you got laid!" He cried out, causing Bill to jump slightly.
"Would you keep it down," Bill hissed at him. "The walls in this place are paper thin. I don't need everyone in the Fleet knowing about this."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Just leave it alone," He muttered, grabbing his boots from under the couch.
"What, she wasn't good?" Saul frowned, not understanding why his best friend didn't want to claim bragging rights for such an important moment in his life.
"No," Bill said quickly, shooting his friend a glare. "No, it was perfect. I just don't feel comfortable discussing it. It's a private matter."
"I told you about my first time," Saul pointed out. "And some private stuff about Ellen."
"And sometimes I wish you wouldn't," Bill cringed as he laced up his boots. "I don't want you eyeing Laura when you meet her."
"You mean I'll actually get to meet her?"
"One day," Bill stood up and smirked. "But right now, if you keep asking questions, I'm going to make you wish you'd been airlocked without a flight suit."
--
"Laura!" Her mother's friend, Olivia, was rushing across the sand to her. "Laura, you have to come with me!"
"Olivia what's wrong?" She called out as she grabbed her towel, wrapping it around her firmly.
"Honey, it's your mother," Olivia said softly as she finally reached her. "She's collapsed and they've rushed her to the hospital."
The world of the sixteen year old froze and then slowly began to spin. She'd lost her father and her sisters, anything but her mother too. Her mind was having trouble focusing as she grabbed her clothes and followed Olivia to her car. People were talking to her, but she couldn't hear them. Her mother had seemed fine. There was nothing wrong with her. It was all a big misunderstanding. They'd get to the hospital and they'd fine nothing wrong at all. It was just stress from everything that was going on around her.
"…I told the medics about her cancer…"
"What?" Laura suddenly threw her self back into the chaos of the world around her. "Why would you say that?"
"Laura," Olivia paused as she started the car, staring at the girl sitting next to her. It occurred to her that Evangeline had not yet told her daughter what was going on. She rested a hand on Laura's knee. "Honey, your mother has breast cancer." She told her slowly.
"No," Laura pulled away from her. "Because she'd tell me, because I'm all she has. We don't keep secrets from each other."
"She found out a few months after you father and sisters…" Olivia let the sentence dissolve into nothing as she watched Laura put up a defiant barrier. "I thought she'd told you."
"I want to see my Mom," Laura whispered, pulling her knees up to her chest. Everything was falling to pieces around her. She let her head drop against her arms, ignoring any conversation as they began moving.
After a moment she turned her head to look out the window, but she didn't cry. She wouldn't cry. She had to be strong for her mother. It was time for her to take charge of the family, though it only consisted of the two of them, and she had to be there for her mother no matter what. Because the last thing her mother needed was a weak little girl.
--
Bill sat outside the gate, watching the Carnival people leave with all their belongings. He waited patiently for Laura, running his hands through his hair every so often. There was a strong possibility that he was grinning like an idiot, but he didn't care. There was something about her that he couldn't quite explain, something that had drawn him to her days ago and held them together throughout the week. She wasn't like any other girl he'd ever met. She certainly wasn't like Ellen.
He checked his watch every now and then. It had only been ten minutes, and he had arrived a little early. Still he was nervous, rubbing his hands together as he watched the people leave. His memory worked overdrive ensuring he didn't forget anything about her.
Her hair was brown, but in the sunlight it seemed more auburn with the dark shades of red rippling through it. She smelt like – he tried to remember – cinnamon, perfectly crushed cinnamon. The thought amused him somewhat, and he chuckled. Her skin was soft and her lips more so. When she laughed it affected her entire body - her smiled brightened, her eyes glistened, and there was nothing more melodious in the worlds.
When she didn't show on time, as he'd expected, he assumed she must have been busy. She'd turn up soon enough. There was no way she was going to forget. He didn't want to think about her not showing up, it was a ridiculous notion.
He continued to wait as the last of the travellers left the fields, and it took him another two hours to admit to himself that she wasn't coming.
--
Left alone on the beach, Peter noticed Laura's backpack sitting in the sand where she'd left it. Something shone from the side pocket and he bent down to pick it up, careful not to get it wet. He turned the small heart around in his fingers.
On one side an 'L' was perfectly engraved, and on the other side a 'W'.
--
The End
--
A/N: Thankyou to everyone who read and reviewed and talked me through parts that drove me crazy. I'm so proud of myself that I managed to finish this fic before I got too consumed with my other fic. But thankyou very much for reading.
