"Who the frak are you?" As Laura crumpled to the floor behind him, Richard spun to face the man crossing the room. "And what…" his question was choked off as a fist struck him, spinning him to the floor next to Laura's body.

"Frak." Pausing only to check Laura's pulse, the new arrival nodded and returned his attention to the man now lying next to her. Kicking the piece of wood away, he used his foot to shove the body away from Laura's before bending down and picking up the knife that had dropped out of her hand. Setting it up on the counter, he winced and buttoned up another two buttons on her shirt before easing her into his arms with a resigned grumble. "Well, this is familiar." Gingerly standing, he glanced around the room and was heading toward the half open door on the other side of the kitchen when the outside door opened again.

"Who the…" Bill stared at the man holding Laura's limp body, then at Richard, sprawled on the floor. "Frak…"

"Yeah." Saul Tigh winced. "Um, guessing you want to take her from me?"

Dropping his wet coat by the door, Bill moved to take her from the other man. "You've no idea how glad…Saul…but, what happened?"

"Not sure." As Laura nestled into Bill instinctively, Saul looked back at Richard. "What do you want me to do with him?"

"You need me to tell you?" Bill shook his head. "Let me get her on the couch and we'll figure it out."

"I figure he's lucky she doesn't have an airlock." Saul mumbled, following Bill.

"Grab the blanket." Bill nodded at a blanket on the chair next to the couch as he eased Laura down into the cushions then took it from him and tucked it around her. "Shh…" When she stirred slightly, he kissed her forehead, frowning slightly as she settled back down. "Brief?"

"Yeah." Saul watched them. "Been here, not sure how, but I've been here about a day, something drew me out here…I saw a light, and Laura through the window, and was coming up the back porch when I realized it wasn't you in there, and whoever it was, she didn't want him near her, he hit her hand…and I kicked the door open. Uh, sorry about that."

"Not a problem." Bill tilted his head, inspecting Laura's face as he absently stroked the side of her hair. "We hadn't seen him in a few days…" He reached out and grabbed the phone, hesitating only a moment before dialing in a number. "It's me. Sorry…yeah, we had some trouble out here. Adar broke in…she's fine…see you in a few minutes. Bring Zak with you. Kitchen door." Hanging up, he glanced at Saul. "Watch over her."

"Uh…okay." Saul blinked as Bill stood and strode across the room, disappearing through a different door. Gazing about the room, a grin crossed his face. If ever there had been any doubt about who lived here, the bookshelves filled with books, the half completed model ship, and what looked like graded homework papers scattered on the coffee table stated clearly who's home it was. Hearing a soft gasp, he returned his attention to Laura. "It's gonna be all right, Bill's here."

"Saul?" Laura blinked up at him groggily. "I thought it…you came in…"

"Yeah. Um…sorry about the door…" He grinned crookedly as she freed one hand and lifted it to his cheek. "Bill will be right back."

"'Kay." She blinked again, her fingers playing across his face. "What…" She shuddered, remembering. "Richard."

"Yeah." His eyes narrowed as the murmur of voices came from the direction of the kitchen. "Bill's taking care of it. Called someone."

"You're here." Laura frowned slightly. "Ellen?"

"Not with me…" he glanced around. "Not even sure where I am."

She pushed herself up and faced him, inspecting his face. "You look good…"

"The two eyes thing took some adjusting to." He grinned. "You two got married?"

"Again." She nodded as Bill returned. "Bill?"

"Kara and Zak are taking care of him." He moved to her side as Saul slid down the couch. "You all right?"

"My hand's sore." Laura lifted it and gazed at the swelling bruise where he'd hit her. "Otherwise all right."

Bill's face tightened. "Kara!"

"Yeah?" She pushed open the door and stared at the three of them. "Well, frak me."

"Or not." Bill shook his head. "Later. Grab the first aid kit and bring it in here."

She glanced at Laura's hand and turned. "Zak, be right there, gotta grab the first aid kit for Laura."

"Really?" His voice was distant, and a moment later, there was a loud thud, followed by Richard's cry of pain. "Oops."

Laura spared a slight smile. "Oops indeed. Bill…"

"He won't be back. Not after this." Bill bent and kissed her before carefully inspecting her hand. "Wish Cottle was around."

"He'll be back, and I'll have someone take a look at it tomorrow." She let her gaze rest on Saul. "It's so good to see you."

"Yeah." He shook his head. "What the frak is going on anyway?"

"Here." Kara re-entered the room and handed the first aid kit to Bill. "Zak sort of dropped the frakweasel. We're gonna take him into town, you guys okay?"

"Come back out for breakfast." Bill opened the kit and took out an antiseptic wipe. "Let us know what happens. Whatever, we'd like to charge him with breaking and entering, and assault."

"I still have no idea why he's so fixated…" Laura winced as the cool liquid hit one of the scratches on her hand.

"Because part of his future he believed included you." Bill glanced up at her. "He can't adjust to it not. Which is why he's still here, and why he hasn't adjusted to the situation." When she stared at him, as did Kara and Saul, he shrugged. "Your father and I had a conversation with the local security force. Small as it is."

"My father and you. Discussed me." Her eyes narrowed. "With some sort of security force?"

"There were some questions…" His eyes slid toward Kara. "About a recent situation."

Saul followed Bill's gaze and grinned. "Well, some things are apparently the same."

"Yeah. Well." Shifting her weight back and forth, Kara frowned at them again. "We'll see you in the morning, we'll let you know when they expect you."

"Kara, thank you." Laura's smile disappeared into a wince as Bill wrapped a bandage around her hand.

"Call us if you need anything." Bill echoed, waiting until she'd left to look back at Saul. "Drink?"

"I'll get it. Point me." He stood and lifted an eyebrow. "You stay with her."

"Glasses in the upper cabinet in the kitchen, left of the sink." Bill nodded to a table. "Ambrosia over there."

"You sure?" Saul glanced at Laura.

"I didn't hit my head. I just…" She sighed. "Ambrosia is fine."

"Yes ma'am." He grinned and left the room after setting the bottle next to Bill.

"You all right?" Alone finally, Bill leaned forward and kissed her gently.

"I am now." She slid her bandaged hand around his neck. "Gods…Bill. Why was I ever so stupid?"

"You were never stupid." Resting his forehead against hers, he held her up as he propped another pillow behind her back. "Open to suggestion and emotionally vulnerable. You were at one point, and he took advantage of it. No matter who either of you were then, neither of you are like that any more. You saw something in him once, something that has become twisted and dark. You grew, and he didn't. Or he grew in a different direction. You found what you needed, he lost what he thought he needed, and he can't find what it's changed to be."

"And I have you." Laura sighed softly and kissed him again.

"Yes." He sat back, gazing at her. "Just as I have you."

"And now, Saul." Her eyes flicked toward the door just as he re-entered.

"What?" Glasses in one hand, he held the plate of fruit she'd been cutting in the other. "Thought you might want this."

"Thank you." She watched him set the plate and glasses down. "Saul…"

"Yeah. Well." He looked around the room. "Nice place. You've added a few books to your collection."

"We have that." Bill grinned and poured ambrosia into a glass and pushed it toward him. "You all right?"

Saul took a swallow and savored it for a moment before returning his attention to them. "Hell of a thing."

"It's good to see you." Laura sipped at her ambrosia, her bandaged hand resting in Bill's. "You've no idea. Natalie and Boomer are here as well, so we had hopes…but with time being as flexible as it is…"

"Natalie and…Boomer?" Saul stared at them in disbelief. "Here?"

"They have a place out behind ours…in the woods." Bill nodded in the general direction. "Their presence isn't widely known, just basically our families, a few others."

"Cottle?" Bill nodded and Saul grinned. "Missed him too. Believe it or not."

"He went to visit family, he'll be back though." Laura turned slightly on her side, nestling closer to Bill.

"You've been here about a day you said?" Bill took another swallow of his ambrosia as they watched Saul.

"Yeah. Woke up in the woods along a river. Wandered a bit, found a few trails. Wanted to get my bearings before anything." He ran a hand along his scalp. "Still having a frakking hard time believing it."

"It takes a while to get your head around it." Laura smiled slightly.

"Even for you Madame Pythia." He chuckled. "Anyway, saw the lights in the house, and figured I might do some scouting, since the weather was getting bad." As if on cue, there was another crash of thunder, followed by the sound of wind and rain hitting the windows. "I was coming up to the door and saw Laura, couldn't figure out who was with her, and then he started toward her and I saw the stick in his hand." Shaking his head, he winced. "Sorry I wasn't faster."

"Your timing, as usual, was near perfect." Laura began as the phone rang.

"Yeah. Well, I thought we were past all that picking you up…" As she shook her head at him, he cut off his statement while Bill answered the phone.

"It's your father." He handed it to Laura. "And your mother's on the extension."

"Of course she is." She took the handset and pushed herself up. "I'm fine Daddy. Mama, really, I am…" She paused to listen. "No, I don't need either of you to come out here, it's storming and Bill's here, as is a friend of ours who stopped by just in…yes, daddy, I'm sure. Mama, I'm fine, really….Yes, yes….no,…the door…yes daddy." Laura sighed and shook her head. "Yes daddy, we'll come by and see you in the morning. Thanks again for the tickets tonight, we had a wonderful time…yes, if we're available, we definitely want to go to the next match…." As Bill leaned over to speak to Saul, explaining where they'd been, she sighed again. "Yes daddy….All right. Did you need to speak to Bill? Yes, I'll tell him everything you said. And yes, I'll tell him thank you as well….mmm hmm….okay. Good night…." Clicking the phone off, she looked at the men. "Saul, my father says thank you, Bill, you pretty much can figure out what lecture I got from both of them."

"Indeed I can." When the phone rang again, Laura sighed and answered it.

"Hello. Yes Sandy…hold on a minute." Covering the phone, she shook her head. "You know very well our families are all going to call tonight. I'm going upstairs to take the calls while in the tub. Bill, you get Saul settled, and catch up, well start catching up. Saul, you'll stay with us, we have the room."

"Yes ma'am." Saul chuckled. "Need a hand getting up?"

"I've got it." Standing, she pulled the blanket around her and leaned forward to kiss Bill. "Take your time."

"I'll bring you up some tea in a few minutes." He cupped her cheek, his thumb caressing along her cheekbone. "You sure you'll be all right?"

"I'll be fine until you make it up there." Laura wrinkled her nose at him. "And, take your time. You know how many more people are going to call…" she lifted the handset to her ear again, "Sandy, be right there… "

"Okay." Steadying her, Bill tightened the blanket around her. "Call me if you need anything."

"I will." She smiled at them briefly before lifting the handset to her ear again as she carefully moved out of the room. "Sandy, I'm fine…"

By the time Bill entered the bedroom, two mugs in hand, Laura was already curled up in the bed, the handset still at her ear. When he crossed the room and set one mug on her bedside table, she nodded and covered the mouthpiece with her hand. "Billy." She whispered.

Bill chuckled and shook his head. "Be right back." He took a quick shower, and changed into his pajamas before joining her in the bed, just as she lay back, exhausted, handing the handset to him. "My turn?"

"There's no one left." Closing her eyes, she curled into him, looping her injured hand carefully through his dogtags. "After Sandy was your parents, then Tamara, who's already at Kara's, then Racetrack, and somehow Sherman even heard about it, and Elosha, then Cheryl, and finally Billy. Luckily I found some of the painkillers Sherman had left for you after you hurt your ankle, so I took one, with his permission, as well as a warning that the dosage was for you, not me, so to get in bed quickly. It's kicking in. Big time." She sighed again. "Saul settled?"

"Yeah." He turned the handset off and set it to the side before gently stroking her hair. "Gotta say, it was a surprise."

"Lucky one." Laura nestled closer to him, eyes closed. "Sleepy. Tell me more in morning?"

"Yeah." Bill kissed the top of her head.

"Still owe me massage." She nudged him with her chin. "Don't forget."

"How could I." He chuckled and held her as she drifted off into sleep, his own thoughts keeping him awake for some time before he followed her into the darkness.