A/N prompt 'one more lap around Galactica'.
The burst of adrenalin after being sent through the launch tube left his heart pounding, but his hands moved steady and unhurried across the controls. As the initial rush subsided, Bill felt himself settle into a familiar calm as he piloted the viper. There was no chaos of battle waiting for him out in the black, just the large expanse of some long awaited stars; and, as he turned the ship, the large, comforting bulk of Galactica herself.
He took his viper down the side of the battlestar, wanting to place every inch he could see into his memory. His home, old friend and savior. She deserved so much more than he would be able to give her, the one who had carried humanity until her back and broken with their weight.
Completing his circuit, he turned the nose of ship towards the green and blue planet the remnants of the fleet orbited. Another kind of woman waited for him down there.
Bill had to resist the urge to push the throttle, lest he burn himself up in the atmosphere and never land beside her.
If he made it to such a place, Laura would probably yell at him on the Shore if he got there before her. For a moment, he was selfish, tempted by the idea to spare himself the sight of her slipping away.
Yet if Galactica deserved more, so did Laura. She had cared for their souls since the end of the worlds.
All he could spare for himself was to have her at his side to watch the sun rise as his ship headed into it.