XXVI.

Laura had never really been a morning person, and ever since she had gotten pregnant, only a hot shower ensured she fully woke up each day. It was her own little ritual. Her clothes for the day were always ready, waiting for her in a chair inside the bathroom, prepared the night before so she didn't have to exit the bathroom in a towel or choose them in the early morning. She was aware that when she forgot to do it, Bill did it for her. It was one of those days. The previous night she had fallen asleep on the couch, tired after a long day, while Bill was reading for her. Somehow he had managed to bring her to the bed, because she had woken up there. However, if she ever asked Bill he would always deny it and look at her with a wide smile, like he always did.

Laura had woken up minutes before, but it wasn't until the water hit her that she fully opened her eyes. The hot water streaming down her bare skin awoke each and every part of her body, also including her little girl. She loved that sensation. It made all the tiredness her muscles carried go away; it helped her get a fresh start every day.

Still under the water, she heard someone rattling in the kitchen. She smiled widely; it was Bill preparing their breakfast. He always prepared it; even when he had an early shift. Probably he was still on boxers and one of his old tanks, barefoot. Around her, when they were at their rooms, he was always just Bill; it was something she loved about him.

Suddenly, she heard the phone ringing. Bill, though, immediately took it. It was probably from the CIC, what would mean their breakfast together would be cut short. She really didn't want that.

Laura exited the bathroom still buttoning her blouse. The table was already laid and a wonderful smell came from the kitchen. Bill immediately appeared through the door, carrying two dishes. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, trying to capture the smell. "Hmm... You made breakfast?" she asked him with a smile.

He left the dishes on the table and acted as a gentleman, holding her chair as she sat in it helping her get closer to the table. Then, he rested both his hands over her shoulders and lowered himself to kiss her cheek. He loved her soft skin. On his way back up, he stopped near her ear. "Don't I make it every morning?" he replied in a whisper before going to sit on his own chair.

She smiled and watched how he started eating. "No" she stated. Bill looked up from his dish; her voice had been too steady to be joking. "I believe you order it in everyday and make me believe you've done it yourself." He was looking at her, concerned. Did she really believe that? But then, he noticed the small smile that was playing on her lips as she grabbed her first bite. The hum that left her mouth after she savoured it was something remarkable. "It's too good to be done by you, Admiral" she teased him.

He locked his eyes with hers' and pretended to be offended. "That was nasty, Madam President... Have you ever been told you can be pretty evil?"

It was Laura's turn to pretend to be offended. She continued eating and looked at her food, ignoring him. "Yes, I have" she answered after a while. Then, she raised her eyes again and set a smirk on her lips. "My students never specially liked having homework or exams, so I would hear it quite often in fact." She continued eating her delicious breakfast in silence, but something was bothering her. She was curious about the phone call Bill had taken and he hadn't mentioned anything about it. "What was that call about?" she ended up asking, seeing that he had no intention to mention it.

Bill raised his head and looked at her confused. "Which call?"

She sighed and rolled her eyes. There had only been one phone call. "The one you took while I was in the shower. I heard the ringing..." she clarified, hoping that he would give her a satisfying answer.

Now it was Bill's turn to sigh. "Oh, that call... It was from Saul" he stated. Then, he casted away his fork and sobered up. It wasn't something he could joke about. "This morning Baltar and his groupies attacked the temple and the marines had to get involved." He saw the concern in Laura's eyes and quickly opened his mouth again, trying to calm her. "Nothing grave happened; they only scared the priestess and the dozen of people that were there, praying." He watched how she nodded and looked into the empty space. He could almost hear her brain thinking. "Baltar's back at home, in the brig again."

Laura exhaled all the air she had in her lungs. They should've seen that coming. "Desecration of a temple. It's his revenge for what happened to him yesterday evening." She had been sure they would soon hear about Baltar again after the trial, yes she never expected it would take that long.

"It was brutal" Bill stated. "I have my personnel trying to track down anything on the Sons of Ares. But nobody's talking."

She had to keep herself from chuckling. Of course nobody would talk. "The thing is that Baltar knows that there are religious hardliners in Dogsville, but he continues to provoke."

Bill looked at her with a concerned expression on his face. "We just can't have a religious war in this Fleet."

She quickly nodded her head. "Oh please, no." She finished the last bite of breakfast she had left and casted away the dish. "Then the whole damn thing will become our frakkin' responsibility, yours and mine." They couldn't let something like that happen, especially given the circumstances. With her pregnant and living at Galactica, Lee recently added to the Quorum, and Starbuck out in space with the Demetrius. Her and Bill's family was too invested if something were to happen. "Seriously, Bill, we have thirty thousand people left and they're not happy unless they're kicking each other's teeth in. This is what we've become?"

He quickly noticed her disappointment and resignation. He couldn't let that happen. "No, it's him. Baltar has an uncanny way of stirring up all the crap." That earned a shy smile from Laura. "I wonder if he'd be willing to stay in lockdown indefinitely, for his own safety."

Laura looked at him and shook her head. It wasn't an option. "And make a martyr out of him? No way. Those girly, groupie, sex whatever-they-are, they already think he's a God." It was more the way she said it than what she had actually said –although that had helped- what made Bill chuckle. Laura's smile reassured him it hadn't been a wrong move. "We should do something about it..."

He thought about it some instants before talking. "So we kick him off of the Galactica."

She quickly shook her head, but her answer didn't come immediately. She was considering all the options they had. Bill observed her while she was going through all of them, completely focused. Finally, she opened her mouth again. "No, I want him close." She had a plan. "I'm going to the brig" she stated.

Bill looked at her with confusion in his eyes. "You want to see him?"

She smirked. "No, that isn't something I'll enjoy. But I want him to see me."

He looked at her even more confused than before. "Are you sure?" He couldn't imagine why she would want that man to see her.

Laura sighed and rested a hand over her belly. "Yes, I am." Her other hand reached across the table to meet with Bill's warm and firm one. "Why are you asking?"

He looked at her and stroked her delicate fingers. Lying to her would be of no use; she didn't have a reason to lie to her. He was only concerned he would sound too possessive. "I don't want you to be there alone with him..."

She smiled and captured his hand with hers. "Bill, I am not made of crystal; I won't simply break if I'm left unattended. I am fine." Then, she brought her other hand to meet with his. "It was two weeks ago," she said with almost a whisper, a chill running down her spine when she remembered the moment when she woke up in sickbay, totally unaware of what had happened, "and I am being more careful than ever... I'll be alright."

Bill smiled and allowed her hands to fully capture his fingers. "I'm sorry. It's just I... I don't want you or our girl to get hurt."

"I'll take my security detail with me; they will be outside the cell." She paused for an instant and allowed herself to get lost in his deep blue eyes. They always felt like home. "I won't let Baltar or any of his people ever lay a finger on me, you can be sure of it."

He stood up from his chair and walked towards her. He stopped behind his wife and rested both his hands over her shoulders. "I know, I know..." He smiled slightly and lowered both his hands to her arms. "But I can't help but be concerned. If anything ever happened to you and I wasn't there, I would never forgive myself... I would love to always be by your side."

Laura turned from her seat and looked at him straight into his eyes, wearing a smile much like Bill's own. "It's a bad thing both our occupations take too much of our times to make it possible..."

Bill's smile grew even wider. "No. It's actually a good thing." He noticed Laura's confusion and brought one of his hands to gently caress her jaw. "If both of us had more spare time and didn't have any obligation, we wouldn't be doing anything else than being together; we wouldn't exit this room. We would forget about everything else."

She smiled sadly. "Maybe you're right. But still, I think I wouldn't really complain."