Thank you to AdamaGirl, walkerdude1, ozzlover and the five guests for reviewing, your support means a lot and encourages me to keep writing!
Sorry this chapter is a day late, but it's the longest one I've written for smiling or a reason to smile, and I didn't want to rush to finish it, but it's ready now :)
Chapter rating: T
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
All mistakes are my own. I hope you enjoy :)
11th March
"Is everything alright?" Laura asked Bill from where she was seated at her desk in the study.
"Yeah" Bill replied placing the phone back in its cradle and pulling the other chair out from the desk.
"Doesn't seem like it, what was the call about?" Laura asked concerned, placing the bookshops accounts to the side and turning to face Bill.
"Carolanne's lawyer called. Her release date from rehab is set for later this week and she'd like to talk to me before then" Bill said sighing.
"When does she want to talk to you?" Laura asked curiously.
"I told him I'd call him back, she wants to see me in the next couple of days. I don't want to see her, but I feel a sort of obligation, since she is the boy's biological mother" Bill explained honestly.
"Well I guess you call him back and say you'll meet him tomorrow, you said you didn't have much on tomorrow at work" Laura concluded grasping his hands in hers and squeezing lightly.
"Whatcha doing in here?" Zak asked as he and Kara came running into the room.
"Just doing some work for the bookstore, what are you doing?" Laura replied curiously, sensing there was a double agenda behind their appearance.
"We're viper pilots fighting the cylons, we're also hungry" Kara said grinning.
"Do you want a snack?" Bill asked looking for a distraction.
"Yes please" the pair chorused, running out of the room.
"It'll be okay honey, I'll help you get through it" Laura said kissing Bill softly, before adding cheekily "now don't give them anything to sugary or filling, I'm going to make a start on dinner soon, and I don't want them complaining they're not hungry anymore".
"Yes ma'am" Bill replied saluting her and winking, as he walked out of the study.
12th March
"I'll go and fetch her and bring her to the visitors area" the receptionist, at the rehab centre, told Bill and Carolanne's lawyer Edward.
"Are you alright?" Edward asked Bill.
"Yeah fine, just want to get this over and done with" Bill replied shoving his hands in his pocket.
"Here she comes" Edward said looking over towards the back of the room. Bill took a deep breath and turned around to see Carolanne walking towards him, she looked different. Her hair and complexion were brighter, but mainly she had this calm and at peace aura about her. She was a far cry from the woman he'd known recently.
"Hi" Carolanne said shyly, "do you want to sit outside?"
"Yeah that would be good" Bill replied following her awkwardly.
"Is something wrong?" Carolanne asked Bill once they were seated.
"No, it's just I guess you seem different" Bill replied shaking himself out of a daze.
"Rehab has been very good for me, I've learnt a lot about myself and my flaws" Carolanne said smiling softly.
"That's good, I'm glad to hear you're doing better" Bill replied sincerely.
"How have you been?" Carolanne asked, genuinely interested.
"Really good, Laura had the baby, a little girl, she's eighteen months old now. The boys are doing well too, and we now have custody of Zak's friend Kara" Bill said, his face beaming with pride.
"I'm pleased you and the boys are doing so well, one of the things I've learnt over the last few months, was that for me personally, I'm not equipped to be a mother, and I coped with the stress by drinking. I've also realised how much pain I caused the boys" Carolanne replied sadly.
"They went through a lot, but they're doing much better now...I'm just going to be straight here and say I hope you're not going to challenge the custody of the boys" Bill said frankly.
"I don't want custody of the boys. I'd like to get myself back on my feet and in a good place, and then maybe one day get to know them better, but I know they're better off with you and Laura, and with the stability their current life has" Carolanne replied honestly.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Bill asked curiously.
"My parents are going to help me out financially until I get back on my feet, but they're away on Virgon and won't be back for six months. It would be great if you could help me find a job and maybe a place to stay" Carolanne said cautiously.
"Yeah I could do that, I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to find you a place to stay and a job" Bill replied, hoping he wasn't over promising.
"How did it go?" Laura asked Bill when they were settled in bed, that night.
"It went well, rehab has been really good for Carolanne. I saw bits of the woman I met just after joining the fleet, which I haven't seen in nearly a decade" Bill replied smiling.
"That's great, I hate what she did to our boys, but I wouldn't wish anything bad upon her and am glad she's doing better" Laura said genuinely happy for Carolanne.
"Yeah, she also told me she doesn't want to fight the ruling on the boy's custody. She realises she's not mentally or financially able to care for them, and knows they're happier with us" Bill replied reassuringly.
"I'm so glad, I will admit I was slightly concerned, that the end of her treatment at the rehab centre, would see her wanting to fight for custody of the boys" Laura said relieved, snuggling down under the covers.
"I know, I asked her bluntly, and I'm happy I did, because I don't want anything coming in between our family" Bill replied wrapping his arms around Laura.
"Me either. I'm so proud of you, and I have a little reward" Laura said fusing their mouths together.
16th March
"You ready to get out of this joint?" Bill asked Carolanne, smiling as he walked up to the front door of the rehab centre.
"You have no idea, it's going to be so nice to have a bit more freedom, and not have to talk to the same people and eat the same food everyday" Carolanne replied happily.
"Well I'll drop you off at the hotel you're staying at for the time being, and you can get yourself situated there, and then we can start looking for a permanent place for you to stay" Bill said taking Carolanne's suitcase and placing it in the boot.
"Thank you, it's really good to know, I have someone who I can turn to right now" Carolanne replied placing a hand on Bill's bicep.
"That's okay, I know we've been through a lot, but we've both come out better for it, and I have two amazing boys because of our relationship. They're both wonderful big brothers to Katie, and I'm sure they will be to the twins too" Bill said grinning.
"The twins?" Carolanne asked confused.
"Oh didn't I tell you, Laura's four and a half months pregnant with twins, we've got her 20 week ultrasound in a week and a half" Bill replied enthusiastically.
"That's wonderful" Carolanne said slightly shocked at the news, before moving towards the passenger side door.
"Yeah, our little family will be complete" Bill replied beaming and hopping into the car, "okay let's get going".
22nd March
"Good news" Carolanne said walking up to Bill, who was waiting for her outside the local shopping mall entrance, "Edward said the owners have accepted my offer on the apartment, I move in next week".
"That's great, I've got some good news for you too. I talked to my boss and we've got an opening for a personal assistant and he said with your experience working for your Dad's company as a secretary, the process will likely be a formality" Bill replied smiling.
"That's wonderful, thank you Bill" Carolanne said embracing him in a tight hug.
"Your welcome" Bill replied awkwardly, "how about we get going and start looking on some furniture to make your new place feel like home".
"Sounds good to me" Carolanne said happily, "I've donated all of my things that were kept in storage from our old place. I decided I wanted a clean slate to work off of and build my new life".
"Well I've taken the whole day off, so take as long as you need to find what you'd like" Bill replied kindly.
"Thank you, I'm so excited, it will be like when we first bought our house, and we're picking out furniture together" Carolanne said cheerily.
"Yeah I guess it will be, sort of" Bill replied hesitantly, not really wanting to revisit old memories.
Laura sighed and rolled over in bed, reaching out into the large empty expanse on Bill's side of the bed. She looked over at the clock on the nightstand, 12:24am, she hadn't heard from Bill since he left this morning, and this wasn't the first time in the last week that he'd come home late. She placed her hands atop her stomach, and rubbed softly, she felt lonely, and her heart broke each time the kids asked where their Dad was, saying they missed him.
"When's daddy going to be home?" Lee asked quietly, while Laura was tucking him in that night.
"I'm not sure buddy, he probably got stuck at work again, I'm sure he won't be too much longer" Laura replied reassuringly.
"Maybe I could wait up for him then" Lee proposed eagerly.
"I'm sorry buddy, but you have school in the morning, we can't have you being tired at school. How about I see if your Dad can take you all to school tomorrow?" Laura offered.
"Okay" Lee replied sadly.
"Night buddy" Laura said kissing his forehead.
"Night Mom, I love you" Lee replied hugging her.
"Love you too buddy".
Laura wiped a stray tear away, and tried to settle down, knowing she'd be exhausted tomorrow if she didn't, but she couldn't get the heavy feeling of loneliness out of her mind.
26th March
"Here they are, they're very active today, you can see them rolling around and kicking their arms and legs out" Jane said pointing towards the two blobs on the screen.
"I'm glad you're here to explain, because I can't make out anything" Laura replied chuckling.
"Don't worry most parents can't, do you want to know the sex of each baby?" Jane asked the couple.
"We're going to wait until the birth" Bill replied smiling and clutching Laura's hand. Laura grinned and looked at Bill, she hadn't seen that adoring look on Bill's face in a while, and suddenly she felt closer to him than she had in weeks.
"Okay, well looking at both of the foetuses anatomy everything looks normal, and they're both measuring within the expected range. So I'd say for the moment, you're looking at a textbook pregnancy. Have you decided whether or not you want to give birth naturally or book a caesarean?" Jane asked curiously.
"If we can we'd like to have a natural birth, but we're thinking if I go into labour any time after 36 weeks, it will probably be best for the babies, if I have a caesarean" Laura replied honestly.
"Sounds like a good plan to me. We're all done for today, if you want to get changed, Melissa at reception will have you're DVD and can book you in for your next appointment, I'd like to see you in a couple weeks" Jane said cheerfully.
"We'll seen you then" Bill replied, helping Laura of the examination bed.
"What time suits you best?" Laura asked Bill as they walked out of Jane's office.
"Ummm, let me have a look" Bill replied pulling out his phone to look at his calendar.
"I can work around your schedule" Laura said, just as Bill's phone rang.
"Oh that's Carolanne, I'll make it work, just pick whatever appointment time suits you. I'll see you later sweetheart" Bill said answering his phone as he rushed out the door, leaving a bewildered Laura in his wake.
"Laura, Laura" the receptionist said trying to get Laura's attention.
"I'm sorry what" Laura replied shaking herself out of her daze.
"Would two weeks from today be good for you?" the receptionist asked.
"Ummm…yes that works" Laura replied confused as to how five minutes ago she was filled with love and joy, and now the lonely, empty feeling had returned.
29th March
"I'll be back around 5pm this afternoon" Bill said, as he donned his moving house clothes.
"Okay, make sure you're not late, you promised the boys, after 'work, you'd take them to the park and play pyramid remember" Laura replied seriously.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure I'm home with plenty of time to play pyramid with the boys" Bill said kissing Laura on the cheek, before heading out of the room.
"Let's hope your Daddy's right" Laura told Katie, who was playing on the floor nearby.
"Daddy" Katie replied grinning.
30th March
"You were meant to be home hours ago" Laura said from where she was seated in bed, when Bill entered their room at 1:15am in the morning.
"I'm sorry I completely lost track of time and got distracted" Bill replied regretfully.
"Zak was in tears Bill, when he realised you weren't going to be home in time to play with him" Laura said solemnly, a single tear escaping.
"I'll make it up to him, Carolanne just needs some help at the moment to get settled and back on her feet" Bill replied earnestly.
"The kids and I need you too Bill" Laura said tears starting to stream down her face, "I can't do this alone".
"You don't have to sweetheart, no one's asking you to, I'm just helping out Carolanne for a short period of time" Bill tried to explain.
"Well I'm getting sick of having to lie to the kids about where you are, and the disappointed looks on their faces when they realise that you won't be home in time to give them a hug, and read them a story before bed. They miss you and the worst part is they're starting to expect you to not be home. After you didn't come home in time to play pyramid with the boys, they didn't even bother asking if you would be home to read them a bed time story" Laura said her voice raising with her anger.
"Look I'm sorry, I've been a little distracted, but I'll try to do better" Bill replied, trying to defuse the situation.
"You've been saying that for a while Bill, and nothing has changed" Laura said sadly, "you spend all day at work with her, and then all night helping her, she's trying to worm her way back into your life and you're doing nothing to stop her!"
"It isn't like that at all, I'm just helping out an old friend" Bill replied raising his voice to try and get her to understand.
"For fracks sake Bill, open your eyes, she's pulling you away and monopolising all your time, while the kids, Husker and I, just sit at home hoping you'll come home soon and acknowledge us" Laura yelled, slamming her hands down on the bedspread.
"You're being ridiculous, I'm just the only person she has at the moment...I think I'll sleep on the couch tonight" Bill said realising she wasn't going to budge on the issue right now.
"I think that's best" Laura replied lying down and turning away from him.
Later that day
"Come on my princess, after the mess you just made with lunch, it's time for a bath" Laura told Katie lifting her from her high chair.
"Ya" Katie replied, loving anything to do with water.
"Dammit" Laura sighed as she heard the phone ringing, "I guess you're having a bath later….Hello Laura speaking".
"Good afternoon Laura, this is Amber Jacobs from Caprica primary school. I'm calling in regards to your son, Zakary Adama. A few minutes ago, in the playground during lunch, he got into a physical altercation with a classmate, we now have him and the other child involved in the principal's office. We'd like you and your husband to come down and talk to the principal shortly" Amber explained thoroughly.
"Are both kids okay?" Laura asked concerned
"Yes ma'am, each child has mild contusions, but the school nurse is treating that as we speak" Amy clarified.
"Okay I'll let my husband know and be there in half an hour" Laura replied, glad she would have a chance to apologise to Bill for last night, since he'd left for work before she'd woken this morning.
"Come on sweet pea, we need to get you somewhat cleaned up and then get Daddy" Laura said carrying Katie into the bathroom, and wetting a wash cloth.
"Daddy" Katie squealed excitedly, clapping her hands together.
"Yeah that's right" Laura said smiling bitter sweetly at the excitement on her daughter's face, at the possibility of seeing her father.
"Come on Bill, answer your phone" Laura said as she hung up her phone and chucked it on the passenger seat. She'd called three times now, and hadn't even been able to reach his receptionist, she just hoped she knew him well enough to arrive at the place he was most likely having lunch.
Breathing a sigh of relief when she spotted Bill waiting outside his favourite café, she parked the car nearby and began to get out, when she saw Carolanne exit the café and hug Bill tightly, before sealing their lips together in a passionate kiss.
Laura stood stunned, one leg on the pavement, the other still resting in her car, as she felt her chest tighten and her heart shatter. For what felt like hours, but in reality was less than two seconds, she stood frozen, her world crumbling around her, as her heart repeatedly broke. Her mind was blank, her mouth opening and closing, but no words coming out, she couldn't get her body to move, she felt trapped.
Suddenly adrenaline kicked in and she moved into action, swallowing the lump in her throat, she hopped back in the driver's seat and slammed the car door shut, before putting the car into reverse, just as she saw Bill push Carolanne away, but the damage was done, she couldn't get that image out of her mind.
"No, no, no, no, no, no" Laura whispered to herself, as if repeating the word enough times would undo what she had just witnessed, and fix her broken heart. It didn't work though, she couldn't erase the memory of Bill and Carolanne kissing. Tears began streaming down her face and she pulled over, crumpling in her seat, realising that what she'd hoped would be a silly insecure idea, she pushed to the back of her mind as it would never happen, had become her reality.
PLLLLEEEEAAAASSSSEEEE review :)