starbuck042786: Sorry I made you cry. It made me cry when it happenedtoo...wait...Hope you enjoy the next chapter!
vangoghadmirer: Thanks for the review! Hope you cntinue to enjoy!
laurie31: Glad you enjoyed the last chapter! I was so happy to see you picked out the line you did! Sorry it took so long to update!
lostineden: Thank you for the compliment! I read your story on Survival Instinct, and it's going well! I'm sure once you get into the groove of the story you'll know where to go!
marisol caley: Yep, they're dead. I was sad too! New chapter's here at last! Enjoy!
Opapea: I hate when familiars die as well. That's actually why I did it. It's war. People die. There aren't many humans left, so we're bound to know many of them who do. sniffles Sorry I depressed you. Laura's in a dark place right now too. You're not alone!
Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to post this chapter! End of the school year stuffed kept me busy, but I'm back and ready to go! So, without further ado, here's chapter 9!
2 Months Ago
New Caprica
"Hello? Anyone home?" Laura called into the small tent. Hushed voices and shuffling could be heard from the inside before a familiar long-haired blonde poked her head outside. "Laura!" Starbuck smiled as she spotted the former president. "Come in." The ex-viper pilot opened the tent she called home just enough to allow the older woman entrance.
"Thank you," Laura replied as the tent flap closed behind her. Looking around, she spotted Samuel Anders sitting up in his bed. "Mr. Anders, how are you feeling?"
"Better than ever, ma'am," he grinned wanly.
"It's slow going, but he's getting stronger," Kara informed her; ignoring her husband's answer.
"At least those fracking toasters are good for something," Anders added.
"So say we all," Kara half whispered. Laura smiled in spite of herself but said nothing. "Enough about that though. How are you holding up?" the blonde questioned as she adjusted the pillows around her husband in a motherly fashion.
"Oh, as well as can be expected, I suppose," Laura put on the most convincing grin she could muster. "Colonel Tigh has made my welfare his personal charge. It was a little annoying at first, but as I get fatter, he's becoming more and more helpful."
"I bet Mrs. Tigh is thrilled about that," Kara commented sarcastically.
"Elated," Laura confirmed with the same sarcasm. "It's not really a problem, though. She's got a new frack buddy every week."
"Mm, surprise, surprise," Starbuck raised her eyebrows and rolled her eyes. "Does Tigh even know?"
"I think he suspects, but he has one major flaw. He's blinded by love," Laura's mask fell a little as the green of her eyes deepened. "In books you read about love and passion and romance then toss them aside when you're finished, never believing a feeling like that really exists and thinking you're satisfied with the way things are. Then one day you turn around and standing right in front of you is the one person that changes everything. And when you lose them, no matter how blatantly obvious it is that they're gone, you know you can never let them go."
An icy breeze found its way through a crack in the worn tent. Laura unconsciously pulled her sweater tighter around her midsection and saw that Anders had taken his wife's hand in his own, squeezing it tightly. The redhead winced, knowing that her minor, hormone-driven emotional rant had most likely inadvertently brought back memories of Zak. She could have kicked herself. Damned hormones.
"He'll come back, Laura," Kara spoke confidently, but her eyes were sad – glossy and wet. "He's not just going to leave us here. He wouldn't just leave you here. The Old Man was giddier than a fracking schoolboy the day he married you. And you're having his kid for frack's sake! It'll just take a little time for them to regroup and re-supply is all."
"Do you really believe that, Kara?" the former president questioned skeptically. "Do you honestly believe that two seriously undermanned battlestars are going to risk taking on the entire cylon fleet? It would be suicide."
"Yes, I do believe it!" Kara defended. " What I can't believe is that you don't you know those two men out there would do anything for you! Hell, ninety-nine percent of the men and women out there would do anything for you! And it's not the entire cylon fleet. From what I've seen and heard, they have ten maybe fifteen basestars at maximum."
"And you think that two extremely battle-worn ships are capable of taking on all fifteen?" Laura had no idea why she was being so pessimistic. After all, half the reason she had ventured here was to talk of resistance.
"They'll figure something out," Sam offered his encouragement.
"Do we really have time to sit here and wait for a miracle?"
"What else can we do?" Anders inquired.
"We fight back," the former president stated.
"Laura, that's crazy," Kara told her.
"Is it?" she questioned.
"Yes. A couple of battlestars and a couple dozens vipers might have a shot, but a couple thousand civilians? It's fracking impossible."
"It's not," Laura felt her mood swing once again but didn't let it get the best of her. "I know for a fact that there is a small arms locker on New Caprica. It is also a fact that the cylons do not know this. Fact – hundreds, perhaps thousands of this planet's occupants are former soldiers who can help train others to fight. Fact – the cylons are the enemy. Fact – the war is not over yet."
"Laura, no one will go for this. Look around you. In one month, the cylons have gone form humanity's greatest threat to its greatest hope. The people have gone from scared, cold, sick, and hungry to content, mostly warm, healthy, and satisfied. I mean, I know it sounds crazy, but maybe this is a good thing. Think about it, instead of killing us, they're helping us," Anders reasoned.
"Helping us? They're controlling us!" Laura's hormones began to take control. "The scriptures are a lie – there is only one true God! The cylons will teach the children the true history of the twelve colonies! Through us you shall know the awesome love and power of God! They've taken over every job; every market. The doctors are the only people who have kept their jobs, and even they are constantly supervised by the cylons. What is there left for us?"
"Our lives," Kara responded, backing up her husband. "We finally have the chance to enjoy life without fear or obligation. All we have to do is live."
Laura hesitated. She had expected reluctance, but certainly nothing like this. She wanted to scream, to shout at them to snap out of it, to hit them or shake them – anything to wake them up. But, instead, she clenched her teeth and watched the couple through wide, unblinking eyes.
"Laura?" a voice from outside the tent interrupted the silence. "Are you here?"
"Yes, I'm here," she responded after a beat as Starbuck hurried to allow the man entrance.
"Morning, Starbuck; Mr. Anders," Colonel Tigh nodded to them as he entered.
"Colonel," they greeted.
"Maya told me you were stopping by here," Saul informed the redhead. "I thought I'd come and fetch you, seeing how you're gonna be late for your appointment with Doc Cottle. The man isn't very forgiving, you know."
Laura mentally kicked herself. She had completely forgotten her appointment with the doctor. She would be in for one hell of a lecture when she arrived. Gods she hated that.
"Oh, thank you, Saul. I completely forgot. Sam, Kara and I were having such a nice visit, I just couldn't pull myself away," she lied badly. Tigh didn't bother to ask, but rather held out is arm in invitation.
"Walk you there?" Laura locked her arm in his.
"Yes, sounds wonderful. Thank you," she replied with a forced grin.
"It was good seeing you," Kara called as they began to leave.
"Goodbye, Kara," Laura nodded and stepped outside.
Present Day
New Caprica
Have you ever woken from your sleep feeling someone was watching you? That was precisely the feeling Laura Adama had as she awoke from her fitful slumber.
"Come on, doc, you gotta let me in! Just let me see that she's alright!" she could hear Kara Anders' excited voice coming from behind the thin wooden door that separated her from the rest of the world. The blonde was whispering, but the frustration behind her words involuntarily increased the volume in which they were spoken.
"No," Laura was surprised to hear Dr. Cottle's steely voice had also taken on a significantly hushed tone. "She isn't in any condition for visitors. She nearly died…again. Then recovered to find out that several of her closest friends were gone. The last thing she needs is more excitement."
"If she can't handle visitors, then why was Colonel Tigh allowed in?" Starbuck questioned smartly.
"That's different," the doctor answered vaguely.
"How so? I get that she's upset, but Tigh's the one that started the fracking rebellion in the first place."
"I don't have to explain myself to you," Cottle retorted without missing a beat. There was a momentary pause.
"Doc, please. Just let me make sure she's okay." Another pause followed.
"Alright, but only for a minute," the doctor resigned. "And do not upset her, captain, or I'll have your ass."
"Yes, sir," Starbuck replied, her voice sounding slightly more cheerful after getting her way.
Laura started as the door clicked open. She should have been expecting it, but she was still in the process of waking herself. A blinding white light flooded the small room as the door slowly slipped open, and the redhead shut her eyes both to protect them from the unwanted assault, and for the fact that she was not quite sure she wanted to speak to the younger woman. Laura did her best to act natural as Kara took a seat beside the bed. Silence was all that followed, and Laura couldn't help but wonder what was running through the former pilot's mind.
"Laura, I know you're awake, so will you please talk to me?" Laura sighed, knowing she was caught.
"Do you have an incredibly convincing reason why I should?" the former president asked calmly, emotionlessly, her eyes still shut.
"Because I'm your friend and you love me?" she could hear Starbuck's nervous smile. Laura did not move.
"Alright. Because you're curious," Kara amended. "Because you want – because you need to know what happened that day." Laura hesitated. Kara was right. Slowly, her eyes opened, and she turned her head gracefully to face her visitor. It was hard to suppress a gasp when she got a good look at the young woman. Even in the dim light of the room, she could see the large black and purple bruise that surrounded the soldier's right eye. A long, crescent-shaped gash had been stitched up just below it on her right cheek, her bottom lip was swollen and bloody, and her left wrist was wrapped tightly; suggesting it had been broken or sprained.
"I know what happened," Laura forced herself to speak confidently. "What I need to know is why."
"Why? The cylons –" Kara began.
"No," Laura interrupted. "Why was I left in the dark? Why were so many trusted with the most important secret ever kept on this planet and not me? I trusted you. You and Colonel Tigh were the very first people to hear of my ideas for rebellion, and you threw them back in my face. For three months you watched my faith in humanity dwindle, but you allowed me to continue believing that we were doing nothing. I just need to know why my friends – why my family betrayed me."
"Laura, no one betrayed you. You have to understand, we couldn't let you know about the resistance," Starbuck started once again. "We knew it would upset you, but it was the only way we could be sure that you would be safe."
"We?" Laura questioned.
"We as in the leaders of the movement. We made the decision. Me, Colonel Tigh, Chief Tyrol, Cally, Kat, and Tom Zarek."
"Zarek?" Laura inquired, not expecting to hear the name. "So you were taking advice from a terrorist? Well, that explains everything!"
"No, Tigh made the suggestion, and we agreed. Look, I know Zarek isn't exactly your best buddy or anything, but we needed someone on the inside. Who better than our Vice President?"
"That explains how you got the explosives onto the basestars," Laura thought aloud.
"He and Gaeta along with some extra help," Kara confirmed.
"Clever, but you still haven't answered my question." Kara took a deep breath.
"Think about this. You are the wife of Admiral Adama, you're Commander Adama's stepmother, that baby in your stomach is Admiral Adama's baby and Commander Adama's sibling, and you are the former president of the Colonies who was most famous for her unique style of cylon execution. Do you not see the dilemma here? Look, I'm certain the cylons have been just itching for a chance to get to you, and leading a rebellion is a pretty good one. It's just like Colonel Tigh said, the Old Man isn't here to protect you so it falls to us."
"I don't want your protection. I can take care of myself," Laura defended. "Being pregnant doesn't mean I'm made of porcelain. I have a duty to the people – "
"You're not the president anymore!" Kara interrupted loudly. "Why can't you understand that? You have no responsibility to the people! They told you that by kicking you out of office! You're not President Roslin anymore! You're Mrs. Adama! The title may not be as prestigious, but it's still important! You have new responsibilities now, and they do not include sacrificing yourself for strangers and making life or death decisions and dying for a cause! Your future isn't suffering and death now! It's happiness and life! I know it's been hard for you to except, but you don't have to be a hero anymore, Laura. You're a wife and a mother now, and that's all you should have to be. Leave the saving of humanity to us."
A heavy silence followed Starbuck's speech. Laura simply lay there, mouth slightly agape, staring up at the young woman beside her; unsure of what to do next. Her words were unexpected. The teacher weighed them carefully, searching her mind for the best response.
"And what about Maya and Cally and all the other women, mothers, who died out there? Weren't love and happiness and their families their responsibilities as well? Why were my life and my happiness put before theirs? Why were they given the choice to fight when I wasn't? Can you tell me that, Kara? I just want to know why the life of one old woman was held over the lives of so many younger, more productive members of our society. What makes me so special?" Laura fought to hold back the tears that began to sting her eyes as she spoke. Kara sighed sadly.
"Laura," she began, her voice much softer. "No woman that fought for us was pregnant. We made sure of that. Yes, many were mothers, but that was their choice –"
"At least they had a choice," Laura interrupted.
"Yes, you're right, they had a choice. But you weren't the only one who didn't. There are still cylons we can't identify. They were hiding in the fleet, so they were most likely still hiding among us," Starbuck was beginning to be frustrated.
"So you only asked people you knew you could trust?"
"Yes. No! Laura, it's not like that! You have to understand –"
"Oh, I think I understand perfectly," the redhead scoffed.
"Come on, be reasonable," Kara begged.
"Don't talk to me about reasonable!" Laura's frustration was mounting as well.
"We just wanted you to be safe!"
"Regardless of what I might have wanted!"
"Will you cut it out with the self-sufficient crap! This wasn't one big plot against you! If we betrayed your trust, I'm sorry it turned out that way. But I'm not sorry for what we did. I'm not sorry we hid it from you! If we hadn't, that could have been you we put in the ground!"
"It was almost me anyway!" Laura pointed out. "I wasn't any safer here than I would have been out there!"
"You say that now, but you weren't there! You didn't see what I saw. You didn't hear what I heard. Trust me, Laura, you were much better off where you were," Kara's eyes took on a glossy, haunted countenance that went unnoticed by Laura in the obscure lighting. "Please, we did this for you." Laura opened her mouth to reply, but a sharp pain shooting through her abdomen stopped her momentarily. She stifled any sounds of distress but was unable to hide the pained look on her face. "Laura? Are you okay?"
"I want you to leave," she responded through clenched teeth.
"Laura, what's wrong? Should I get the doctor? Is it the baby?" questioned a very concerned Kara.
"Just leave!" Laura could no longer hide the agony in her voice as the pain intensified.
"I'm getting Cottle! Hang on!" Starbuck told her quickly as she ran toward the door. "Hey! Someone help!" It was only a matter of seconds before Dr. Cottle was through the door and at Laura's side.
"Damn it, Starbuck, your ass is mine! I told you not to upset her!" he growled as he examined the teacher.
"I – I'm sorry! I didn't –" Kara's words died off as she watched the doctor and nurses surround Laura, hating herself because she knew this was her fault and straining to hear what was wrong.
"She's going into pre-term labor," Cottle told the orderlies before turning to the patient. "Laura? Laura, can you hear me? I need you to listen. You have to relax. You're going into labor, and we have to give you something to stop it. But I can't do that with you squirming around. Now stop!"
As if on cue, the woman visibly calmed her trembling limbs, but inside, images of her nightmare were still haunting her. She couldn't lose this baby now. Not after everything they'd been through. On the other side of the room, Kara Anders had crammed herself as far into the corner as possible. Guilt and worry were overwhelming her senses as she watched the only real mother-figure she had ever had writhe helplessly on the small hospital bed as the medics tried to save her child once again.
"Okay, that looks good," Cottle said to himself once the ordeal had finally ended then turned to Laura. The woman was barely awake. "Laura, you can stop worrying. You're both going to be fine, but I'm putting you on a strict bed rest until the baby comes. We're gonna have to be extra careful if we plan on both of you living. And absolutely no more excitement." Kara didn't miss the ominous glance the doctor gave in her direction after this statement and suddenly felt very ill. She had almost killed them both – Laura and her baby – again. Unable to contain it any longer, Starbuck made a mad dash for the hallway and promptly threw up.
Laura was teetering on the edge of sleep, but could hear Kara's violent retching. She wanted to say something, anything, to reassure the girl that she should not feel guilty; that it wasn't her fault, but she was so tired. Blissful unconsciousness was pulling her in fast, and she didn't have the strength to fight it. Her baby was safe; Cottle had assured her of that. What would it hurt to rest for a little while? She would talk to Kara when she awoke. And with that thought still fresh in her mind, she fell back into a fitful sleep.
Chapter 9 finally done! Chapter 10 up sooner than you know it!
