Finally, here's the next chapter. Sorry it took so long. Hope you enjoy it! The next chapter will be up sooner. Ideas will be needed!

Dinner goes rather smoothly, smoother than Bill had anticipated. He had prepared himself for an eventful evening, when Lee and Kara were together sparks never failed to fly…whether they were good or bad was another story.

Laura seems to be enjoying herself as she watches his children bicker good-naturedly back and forth. Her sharp eyes following the verbal volleys as they arc through the air, a small smile hidden behind the rim of her wine glass. He is mesmerized by her, they way the corners of her mouth lift ever so slightly or the way her nose wrinkles when she giggles. Bill turns his mind back to the conversation as he hears Kara's voice change in pitch.

"Oh come on Apollo," she baits Lee, "you know I scared the shit out of you!"

Lee huffs, "Well of course you scared me! The ship was untested…"

"And black," Bill interjects with a grin.

Laura is confused, "What does that …"

"I played hide-and-seek," Kara snickers, "and then popped up right in front of him!"

Lee rolls his eyes and glances at Laura, "Never mind that the ship was untested, therefore making it dangerous."

"Oh yes, I remember that, the Blackbird, the one that you named after me, which was a wonderful surprise by the way. I could never thank you enough for that. That moment is very close to my heart because that was the first time that you acknowledged me as part of the family. It meant a lot to me," Laura says, placing her hand over her heart.

Bill takes her hand that is over her heart in his and then squeezes it, resting their joined hands on her lap.

"We thought it was time that we did something for you. We all knew you were part of the family, because it was always between you and the admiral, we just hadn't acknowledged it in front of you. We thought we should. When you said we would all get through it together, did you know about your terminal cancer?" Kara says, suddenly, after all these years, putting the pieces together.

Laura looks over at Bill and then looks back at Kara. "Yes, I did know. As the president, I had to keep hope alive, which meant ignoring the piece of information that would get rid of hope and faith. I had to make sure you all knew that I had hope, so that you all would have hope. And Lee wasn't the only one worried, I was worried too. I cared for you even back then, Kara. You remind of one of the kids that I used to teach. She was very strong-willed and independent, a lot like you. She never said anything to me, but I knew she was being abused. She would come into class and have bruises. She would act like everything was normal, but I knew it wasn't."

Kara gasps and brings her hand up to cover her mouth. She says, "Oh my god. I had a feeling I recognized you. That little girl you're talking about, is me."

Lee and Bill both look at Kara in shock. Kara looks each of them in the eye and says, "My mother. But that was a long time ago."

"I'm sorry, Kara. I should've done something back then; I should have tried to help you when I was your teacher. I should have followed my instincts."

"It's fine, Laura. It was a long time ago. It is what caused me to join the ranks, and that is the best thing that I ever did."

Laura nods her head slowly at Kara and then turns to Bill and sadly smiles.

"So Laura, since you were a teacher, do you have any funny stories that you could share with us about what your kids ever did?" Lee asks, trying to shift the mood back to the joyous state that it was at.

"Actually, I do have a couple. My first year teaching kindergarten, I had a kid who was so cute. I think he had a crush on me. Every day, he would come back from recess and bring me a bouquet of flowers that he picked from outside and then leave them on my desk. He even told me I was pretty a couple of times and made me cards. He was adorable." Laura's face lights up with a smile when she is talking about her kids. That is what she lived for early in her career, getting up every day and seeing those adorable faces.

"Well, that kid was smart. You are pretty," Bill says as he places a kiss on her cheek.

"That is adorable," Kara says, "I bet you loved being a teacher to little kids."

"Yes, they were really sweet and very cute. Of course, a little later in my teaching, I had a kid who got a marble stuck in their nose. That was not fun. I had to call the nurse and his parents. It was horrible! But most of the time it was very rewarding being a teacher for little kids. I got to enjoy watching them grow up for a year in their cutest years."

Laura covers her mouth with her hand as she yawns. "I'm so sorry. But I haven't been up for late nights lately."

"That's alright," Lee says. "We probably should be heading off anyway."

"Dinner was great," Kara adds. "I hope we can do this again. Get together as a family once again. It was fun."

"Yes, I agree," Laura says as they all stand up from the table. "It has been an absolutely lovely evening."

Laura and Bill give both Lee and Kara hugs and then they leave the quarters. Bill and Laura clean up the dishes and then Laura turns to Bill. "I had a wonderful time tonight."

"As did I, Mrs. Adama. Although, not as good as last night."

"Of course not. Nothing could be as good as last night." She wraps her arms around Bill's neck and then stretches up on her toes and gives Bill a searing kiss. She walks over to the rack, swaying her hips as she goes. Bill follows her and they are not asleep until later in the night.

Let me know what you think. As always, reviews are appreciated! Ideas are also appreciated and needed!