(Chapter 12, A/R is Love. So are Hash Browns Snickers Squee Warnings)
They were all staring at the package. None of them had moved. Tory was about to speak and just in that moment, no other than Tom Zarek, Vice President of the 12 Colonies entered the room. He stopped abruptly, feeling the obvious tension in the room. All three of the women looked up at him. He looked between each of them, trying to work out what they were doing. He spoke.
"Ah... what's wrong?" he questioned.
Tory seemed the relaxed of all of them, Gaia found that odd. The President, clearly getting anxious answered.
"I don't like to repeat myself but it seems that I must." She pointed to the package. "What's that?"
Being the Vice President, Zarek was one of the very few people who knew about Laura's death threats. It now seemed apparent to him what all the tension was about. He decided to play with it a little. He walked up to her desk and picked up the brown papered package and started tossing it from hand to hand, every time making Laura wince. "You mean this?" He liked playing dumb.
"Obviously that." answered Matthews before anyone else could. She new Zarek was playing a game, she knew he had something to do with this or he wouldn't be so sure that that package was safe to touch.
"Mr Vice President, do you know something about this?" It was Laura's turn to question. Tory however was the one that spoke up.
"Ma'am, I was going to say something before but Mr Zarek walked in before I got the chance." She waited a beat before continuing. "That package is a... gift, if you will, from both Mr Zarek and I. Well not really a gift more of something you will need... one day. I asked him for his help, I knew it wouldn't be easy to find and I also knew that Mr Zarek had ties throughout the fleet. It made it much easier." Laura gazed at her young aide for a moment and then turned to Zarek. "Is this true?" she asked him. He nodded. "What's in it?"
Gaia hadn't a clue and Tory wasn't going to answer. "Tell me?" she ordered.
"Laura I suggest you open it later... in private." offered Zarek. She eyed him suspiciously and then walked over to him, he held it out to her. She took it and placed it on her desk. "I will open it later then."
--
Gaia didn't fully trust Zarek and she was not meant to leave the President at any point, but she had insisted and Zarek promised to look after her. Something about that promise made her believe the she was safe, that and the tugging of Tory pulling her out of the room. Zarek had arrived this morning to update the President on some Sagittaron matters.
Gaia now stood with her arms folded, glaring at Tory.
"What?" asked Tory.
"Even if you don't plan to tell me what's in it, next time at least tell me that it's not a bomb. Please?" answered Gaia. Tory nodded and they continued to stand outside the doorway until Zarek left.
--
1700 hours now and the President was still working, she had been snowballed with reports all day and at least another two piles to go before she saw her desk again. A couple of times Tory had attempted to clean it up, but that only got her a snap and glare from Laura, who didn't want anything moved while she still had a faint idea where everything was. As usual Gaia stood in the corner, well, sat in the corner. Laura had seen her standing there for hours and ordered her to "plant her ass" on a chair. Who could argue with that?
--
2000 hours now, and you could see her desk again, everything was nicely back in order. Tory had already gone to bed, at the President's insistence and Gaia was waiting outside Laura's room until she was asleep. A few minutes later, Admiral Adama walked into the President's office and saw Ensign Matthews standing in the far doorway.
"Ensign, is the President asleep?" asked Bill
Gaia thought for a moment, she knew she wasn't, but did she really want to see him?
"No sir, she is... going through a few things before bed."
"May I see her?"
"Yes sir." Gaia stepped aside. She had decided that a good talk with the Admiral was the best thing for her right now. Practically everyone on this ship heard the screams at night, someone had to talk to her.
"Ensign you can go to bed, I'll make sure she is alright." Gaia did so.
Bill pulled the curtain aside and saw Laura sitting on her makeshift bed, hunched over something he couldn't see. He knocked twice on the doorway.
--
Laura had been sitting on her bed for about ten minutes now, contemplating whether or not to open her package. She pulled on the string, hard enough to loosen it a little, but soft enough to make sure it didn't open. If she didn't open it soon she never would. She pulled on the string, harder this time and it fell from the paper. The brown paper still concealed what was inside, she gently touched the edges of the paper and moved them aside. Oh Tory. In that moment she heard two raps at the curtain behind her. She quickly folded the paper over again and bent down to slide it under her bed. She stood and turned around to see Bill standing doorway. He smiled warmly at her and she returned it.
He walked further into the room.
"I sent your bodyguard to bed."
"Good, she looked exhausted." said Laura, wondering what he was here for.
"I need to talk to you." Bill blurted out. There was her answer.
"Oh?, what about?" she asked. She motioned for him to sit down, she sat next to him.
"Do you remember our fight?"
She smiled "Which one?" He also smiled. "That time about a month ago, I was drunk and feeling sorry for myself. You were tired and fed-up."
She knew exactly the time he was on about but she definitely didn't want to go there. Blocking him she said with another smile. "Which time?" Again he smiled. "Laura, you know when I mean, why are you stone walling me?"
"Because it's the past Bill, we don't need to go back there."
"On contrary, we do, you just don't want to."
"And you do?"
"No but I need to."
"Why?"
"I found something in my bin that I wanted... needed to talk to you about."
"Like...?"
"This." He pulled the tissue out of his pocket and unfolded it. Laura was shocked, she thought it was long gone and that she would never have to relive that memory again. She was wrong. She turned away from him and stood with her back to him.
"I was cleaning up when I found it by accident. Why didn't you tell me?" he questioned
She turned around, arms folded.
"Bill we had just had probably one of our worst fights, you looked like you were going to be drunk for three more days and I didn't really want to talk about it." She waited. "After that, there just seemed no point to bring it up." He could accept that, but it didn't stop him from wishing that she had told him."How did..." She could tell he was going to ask how it fell out, and she felt like being a smartass but she didn't.
"After you walked out I put my glasses back on and continued working. I ran my hand through my hair and that came with it." She point to the lock of hair in his hands. "That's all." He could see the tears in her eyes now. He had made her cry that night, and he was making her cry again. He wasn't there last time to help her through it, now he is.
"You should get some sleep." He stated.
"All I do is dream the same dream night after night, I'd rather not." She replied.
"Then I'll stay with you."
"Do you think that's such a good idea?" she asked, a little surprised by what he said.
"You need to sleep Laura, that, is a good idea." He knew about the press, but he would handle that if need be. What did need his attention was her, and he was all for giving it.
He motioned for her to sit down and she did. He turned his body towards her and slowly snaked his arm around her shoulders. She leant into his side. She fit their perfectly, as if someone had moulded his side to her shape. He brought his right arm around the front of her and placed it over the top of his left hand. This little act made what was left of her brittle wall crumble. She felt two tears run down either cheek. His chin was rested on the top of her head.
He moved his head down and placed his nose deep into her fiery curls. He took in deep breaths, soaking up the perfume of her hair with every inch of his lungs. He let out a heavy breath and whispered.
"I love the smell of your hair."
This only made the tears fall faster. Fore what was in the package was a wig. Soon what he loved would be gone, just like her hair.
(Ok you people probably think I'm a right freak writing 2 chapters basically about her hair, but meh. Please Review, this poor shipper girl needs something to read in the A/R drought.
URGENT: Chapter 13 may not be up for a couple of weeks, ya see, I have this little problem called school, and 3 assignments sitting on my desk mocking me for the fact that I have to do them. I had extensions but because of computer trouble, I couldn't do them, and well the teachers won't see kindly to that. So I have to get them done before Monday and it is Thursday, cries But I will desperately try to get it up in between, but if I don't, you will know why.)
