"Full colors." Laura giggled and set her cards down in front of her, face up as the other three groaned. "All mine." Reaching out, she pulled the chips toward her with her uninjured hand. "Thank you."
"Not fair." Kara sighed and took a swallow from the bottle in front of her. "You should be drugged out of your mind with those painkillers, and you're wiping the table with us."
"Ah," Laura lifted her glass of water toward Kara. "These painkillers aren't narcotic enough to impact me. Still have the tolerance I used to."
"Still." Kara tossed her cards toward Saul. "Your deal."
"Gotta say, I agree with Starbuck." He grinned at her. "Buck, buck, buck…"
"Don't start that." Her eyes narrowed.
"Play nice." Laura paused in setting the chips in piles and glared at them.
"New drinks anyone?" Bill glanced around the table, stifling a chuckle at their automatic reaction to what he called Laura's 'teacher glare'.
"Not here." Kara sighed. "Much as I hate to say it, one more hand, then I have to be responsible and head back in. I ended up with the early class tomorrow."
Saul stared at her, blinking in shock. "What?"
"We're teaching out at the base. Have some of the older kids that come in for lessons." Bill shifted so his arm was draped around Laura's shoulders, his hand absently toying with her hair.
"Yeah. I remember that." He shook his head as he shuffled the deck. "I'm still getting over the two of you, and Starbuck is responsible now?"
"For now." Kara drained her bottle and set it down next to her. "Still got my moments though. Want to test me?"
"And you've both behaved so nicely so far." Laura lifted an eyebrow. "And Bill, eyes front when the cards are dealt."
"Yes dear." He moved just in time to evade her elbow jabbing into his ribs.
"So," Kara frowned slightly. "I still am trying to get this all straight. Lee ended up with Ishay? And Ellen started a school?"
"Yeah. We all ended up doing things, finding our ways in new places, surviving. Not impacting the existing cultures, or if we did, doing it as minimally as we could." Saul started to deal the cards out. "It was a matter of adjusting to surviving again. We'd done it once, twice…we just needed to do it again."
"Who knew. You adjusting." Laura smiled.
"How was the integration, of the Cylons and the humans." Kara asked softly.
"Difficult. We managed. Those who couldn't adjust, on each side, chose to leave the main part of the settlements and went elsewhere." Saul set the pile of remaining cards on the table as they picked up their cards, Laura setting hers back down to re-arrange them before picking them up again. "We adjusted. Difference was, we didn't have Baltar in charge of everything. Although," he paused as Kara pushed two chips into the center of the table, waiting until Bill and Laura had matched the bet to toss his own chips in. "Baltar did end up doing a credible job in the agricultural area."
"His family was farmers." Laura commented absently, putting her cards down and tossing another chip in. "Raising."
"He…changed." Bill admitted quietly, tossing a chip of his own in. "Something happened during the final battle. He could have left and didn't."
"Still." Kara shook her head, tossing two chips in.
"Lot changed." Saul repeated with a grimace. "Some didn't. I fold."
"Two cards." Laura slid two toward him and took the two he pushed at her. "Bill, stop trying to look at my hand."
"Don't need to." He slid a card over. "One, Saul."
After sliding one over to Bill, Saul looked back at Kara. "You?"
"Holding." She grinned and tapped her cards. "Call."
"Met." Laura turned her cards over and sighed. "Well, all good things…"
"Better than me." Bill tossed his cards onto the table.
"Come to mama." Kara placed her cards on the table and pulled the chips toward her.
"Ladies night apparently." Saul gathered the cards and shuffled them into a pile.
"Apparently so." Laura yawned, covering her mouth with her bandaged hand. "Sorry."
"I've gotta head back anyway." Kara stood and picked up several of the empty bottles. "I'll drop these off in the bin on my way out. See you tomorrow?"
"Be in about ten, ten thirty, after I drop Laura off." Bill nodded.
"Hey, Starbuck." Saul stood. "Hold on, I'll grab the rest of these." As he stood, he shot a look at Bill and Laura. "Be right back."
"We'll finish up out here." Laura smiled at him. "Night, Kara," she called, receiving a wave in response.
"What?" Setting the bottles in the sink, Kara turned and faced him as he entered the kitchen.
"You okay with me being here?" Following her lead, he set the bottles in the sink and stacked the plates in the washer.
"Yeah." She crossed her arms and scuffed a foot. "You okay with me?"
"Hell Starbuck, we just played cards without turning over a table or getting drunk." He grinned. "What do you think?"
"We were both on our best behavior for them?" Kara met his grin then let it fade. "After…Was there any ever other sign of the Galactica…or anything?"
Saul shook his head. "No. And before you ask, no signals…music or anything that would have indicated anything from Sam. I'm sorry."
She bit her lip before answering. "I hadn't thought you would…but…you're here."
"Yeah, I am." He glanced back at the door they'd come through. "They look good."
"They do." She followed his gaze. "Waited long enough for each other."
"Shows you kid." Saul turned to look at her. "Sometimes it takes time. And patience."
"Yeah, like I'm good at either of those." Kara straightened and crossed to pull her jacket off the back of her chair.
"You're teaching kids." He watched her grin at him. "I'd say you're getting better at those."
"It's easier than some of the nuggets you forced on me." She pushed her arms through her sleeves. "I'll bring Laura home tomorrow, we'll talk more then?"
"See you tomorrow." Saul nodded at her as she opened the door. He was just finishing rinsing out the bottles when Bill opened the door. "Almost done in here."
"Thanks. We cleaned up out here, see you in the morning?"
"Yeah." Wiping his hands on a towel, he turned toward the door. "Bill, thanks again."
"Good to see you. Laura thinks so too." With another grin, he stepped back through the door, moving to join her.
"Yes Laura does." She giggled and slid her arm around his waist as they moved up the staircase. "Kara headed out?"
"She wasn't in there, so I suppose so." Bill shook his head. "Not sure how they'll get along in the long run, but they're both making an effort now."
"I wonder what it would have been like…" Laura's voice trailed off.
"What?" Pausing at the top of the stairs, he looked at her, his free hand reaching up to trace her cheek.
"Just…" She sighed. "On New Caprica, if she hadn't been taken at the beginning. How they would have worked together, sometimes I wonder. No one expected Saul and I to work together…if we'd added her back into the mix, what would have happened."
"I suppose we'll never know." His thumb caressed her cheekbone. "How come you've never told me everything that happened to you down there?"
She blinked and gazed at him for a moment. "I…I suppose because there's nothing that could have been done in hindsight. It…we had to deal with enough of the aftermath. And then there were other things that were more pressing…"
"Like surviving." Leaning forward, he kissed her. "I know you keep telling me someday…"
"I mean it." Laura nodded slowly. "I will."
"I'm going to hold you to that." Together they started toward the bedroom. "You know I will."
"I know." She continued into the bedroom as he closed the door behind them. "For now though, I need some help."
"With what." Chuckling, he pulled his sweater over his head. "You and Kara pretty much cleaned Saul and I out."
"Well." Unfastening the buttons on her blouse, she tossed it on top of his in the basket they used for dirty clothes and turned to face him, holding up her bandaged hand a mischievous smile playing across her lips. "I need two hands to undo my bra…"
