The second bowl of Tauron noodles isn't enough, and Cheryl orders a third bowl, slightly hotter than the last one. Noodles are her new favorite food, and it has little to do with the fact that she worships Bill Adama. She loves the flavors, how the different spices blend together, and she finds it fun to slurp them into her mouth, making faces with each one.

"Sweetheart, can you really eat all that? You might want to leave some room for cake," Dave suggests, watching his youngest daughter gobble up her first mouthful of noodles from the new bowl. He's been watching her eat like her stomach's a bottomless pit for a week now, and he worries that she may make herself sick at the reception.

"I'm hungry!" she argues. "I've barely eaten anything today!"

"You had meatloaf, mashed potatoes, salad, carrots, and dinner rolls for lunch. Where are you putting all of this food?"

"I think somebody's going through a growth spurt," JJ observes. "Bill was just like that when he was little. One minute he's barely eating anything, then the next he's eating everything in sight and growing three inches taller overnight. Do your legs hurt at night, honey?"

"YES! All night, and my pants are getting too short. And my feet are getting big, too."

"I don't understand how you can eat like that and still be so skinny. Both your sisters went through chubby phases, but not you, and you eat twice as much as they did," her father says watching her continue to shove noodles in her mouth.

"Daddy, I'm growing up. Did Sandra and Laurie play pyramid five times a week? I'm always starved after practice."

"How about after this next bowl, you have some cake, and then if you're still hungry, I'll bring you some more noodles," JJ says.

"After I have cake, I'm going to dance. THEN I'll be hungry again."

"In that case, I'll set some noodles aside for you when the kitchen shuts down," JJ offers. "Wouldn't want you to starve to death tonight!"

They're interrupted by the sound of guests clanking their forks against drinking glasses, indicating they want Laura and Bill to kiss again. It's at least the twentieth kiss of the reception, but the newlyweds don't mind, each kiss growing a little more heated than the previous one to the delight of the guests.

"Get a room!" Lily yells.

"How about a balcony?" Tabitha yells after her, causing the friends to double over with laughter at the inside joke.

"Already been there!" Laura informs them with a smirk planted on her face, she and Bill holding up their champagne glasses to her rowdy friends. "Three months ago!" Bill shouts, leaving the ladies howling with surprised looks on their faces.

After dinner and the cake cutting ceremony, the newlyweds enjoy a slow romantic waltz for their first dance as husband and wife. Laura then shares a dance with her father followed by Bill and Evelyn sharing a mother-son dance. The dance floor then opens to the guests, most of whom pair off to enjoy some lively music. Cheryl is content to spin around the floor until she bumps into Saul, who picks her up and holds her as he teaches her the proper way to dance with someone while Ellen admires them from afar.

JJ places leftover noodles in various take-out containers and stashes them in the small refrigerator in her office, certain Cheryl will decide she's hungry again in about thirty minutes. Dave follows her there, carrying several of the containers and helping her stack them in the fridge.

"I'd really like to pay you for making your establishment available to us tonight," he begins. "I just don't feel right about you shutting down your business on a Friday night."

"I don't want any money - this is my gift to the happy couple. I never had children of my own, but Bill has always been like a son to me. He and Laura have already covered food and staffing, I don't expect anything else."

"I'm the father of the bride, I have to offer something," Dave says somewhat frustrated at the realization that he has paid nothing toward Laura's wedding.

"You like tradition, don't you?" she asks him. "I admire that." She continues to stare at him until a smile spreads across her face. "Actually, there is something you could do. Would you care to dance?"

Sandra and Craig spin around the dance floor to the slow music until they stop next to Laura and Bill, who are oblivious to everything around them as they sway to the music.

"Laurie, Laurie! I know you two are busy having dance sex right now, but if you can stop for just a minute, look to your left," Sandra whispers loudly. "Look at daddy."

"Hmmm?" Laura asks, barely opening her eyes to glance where Sandra has told her. "Oh," she replies lazily. "Good for daddy."

"Look at him! He's enjoying himself! He's dancing with JJ and they're both laughing and having a good time!"

"That's nice," Laura replies closing her eyes and melding herself into Bill again, Sandra giving up and dancing away from them. "I want to get out of here, Bill," she whispers in his ear.

"So do I, but we still have two hours to go."

"Noooo," she groans softly. "The things I want to do with you tonight can't be done in this restaurant. I want to peel this uniform off you and lick you all over then I want you to pin me down and frak me senseless all night long."

"Laura," he says tilting her chin to meet his eyes. "A few more hours, then we have a flight for another hour or so after that. And then…we can do whatever we want."

"Can you at least tell me where we're going so I can be distracted? What shuttle are we taking?"

"It's a surprise, and we aren't taking a shuttle. I'm piloting a raptor with just the two of us. It's a perk of my position."

Another thirty minutes of dancing goes by, then Ellen, Lily, Jean, Tabitha, and Sasha all gather at the restroom to help Laura with her dress, giggling from the champagne and the ridiculousness of trying to pee with a wedding gown on. When they finally emerge from the bathroom, Cheryl comes running to Laura, indicating that she's hungry and asking if she can find where the noodles are hidden since the kitchen is already shut down.

"I'll find them sweetie. You go back to the reception, and I'll bring them to your table."

Laura explores the kitchen first, looking through the refrigerators but having no luck. In the meantime, Cheryl, who has grown impatient, asks Bill to find the food for her. He knows exactly where they are and goes to JJ's office, where he finds Laura peering into the small private refrigerator opening take-out boxes looking for the right noodles.

"Let me help you with that," he says shutting the door behind him and placing his hand on Laura's back.

"Thank you, I can't really squat down to look in here with this dress on."

Bill quickly finds two containers of the correct noodles and hands them to Laura who sets them on the desk. She glances around the room realizing they are alone for the first time in almost a month. "Bill."

"Huh?" he replies standing and shutting the fridge door, coming to the same realization as his new wife who is resting on the edge of JJ's desk giving him a very heated look.

"Oh, Gods," she gasps when he quickly closes the distance between them, covering her mouth with his, letting his hands roam up her sides to her breasts. His lips nibble down her neck tasting her salty skin while one of his hands tries to find its way up her dress but has no luck.

"How do I get inside of this thing?"

"It's not easy, that's why it took so many of us to take me to the bathroom."

"Can you take it off?" he asks, a hint of desperation in his voice.

"If I take it off it'll take three people to get me back into it! Let me take care of you," she says grabbing underneath his military tunic at his belt buckle.

"No! That's not fair. I'm taking care of you tonight. Can you lift your leg?" he asks tugging near her right thigh. "Maybe if you can lift up, I can at least get underneath this thing."

"WAIT!" she exclaims, stiff-arming him in the chest. "Are we really going to frak here? This is our first official marriage frak. Let's just take a moment and think about this," she says, her chest still heaving from the excitement of finally being alone with him.

Their eyes lock onto one another as they breathe in rhythm, trying to get control of their urges, trying to convince themselves that a quick frak on a desk in the backroom of the restaurant where dozens of friends and family members are celebrating is a really bad idea. When their breathing evens out, Bill grasps her hand that is still flush against his chest, pulling it toward his face and kissing her palm. "You're right. We should wait until we get to our honeymoon destination."

"Which is…where?"

"Nice try, Laura," he grins.

"Can you blame me?" Her eyes dart around the room before landing back on Bill. "We could always have a nice make-out session before we go back to the reception."

"Hands above the waist?"

"Good idea. I like rules," she states in a sultry tone.

"You're making this really hard."

"Am I now?" she asks with an inquiring eyebrow raised before dropping her gaze to his crotch. Suddenly she breaks into a giggle, unable to keep up her teasing, probably because of the champagne. "I love you, Bill."

"About that make-out session…" he murmurs leaning in close to her, capturing her lips.

"Don't worry, Cheryl, I put the leftovers in my office so no one else would eat them," JJ assures her by patting her on the back as Dave carries her in his arms. "I'll be right back."

JJ opens the door, and her eyes immediately land on Bill, who is leaning over the top of Laura kissing her passionately on the desk. She quickly shuts the door and turns to see Dave just a few feet away.

"Uhhh, maybe you should have some more cake first, sweetie," she says nervously, making eye contact with Dave and nodding her head toward the restaurant.

"Is there something wrong?" Dave asks.

JJ glances at Cheryl, who is extremely unhappy at the thought of eating cake instead of noodles. "Seems my office is a honeymoon suite right now, Dave. I'll, um…, I'll bring the noodles as soon as I can."

"Oh, that's perfect," he replies rolling his eyes, hugging grumpy Cheryl close to him. "I'm sorry," he mouths to JJ, who reaches out and grasps his hand.

"It's okay, it really is." A sensual moan is heard from inside her office, and JJ's other hand covers her mouth, stifling a giggle at how laughable the situation is, while a bright red blush creeps up Dave's neck. "It's okay, just go. I'll handle this."

"When am I going to get my noodles?" Cheryl asks crossing her arms in front of her, her lower lip sticking out in a pout. "I'm starving."

"Cheryl! You're being rude in front of the priestess. JJ will bring them soon," her father assures her.

"I get cranky when I'm hungry, too," Elosha says, smiling at Cheryl trying to put her at ease. "Maybe I can tell you about the thirteenth tribe that settled on Earth while we wait."

"Daddy, why don't you have any books about Earth?"

"We've never found any hard evidence that it exists. Most historians feel it's a myth."

"Is that what you think, Dr. Roslin?" Elosha asks, surprised that he isn't more open to the idea of Earth.

"I've studied the history of the colonies and have arrived at the same conclusion. Until someone produces hard evidence, it's the history department's stance to refrain from discussing the planet."

Elosha leans back in her chair, eyeing Dave and wondering how anyone will ever find hard evidence if nobody bothers to look for Earth. "I thought academia was about being open-minded and making discoveries."

"It is, but we don't like wasting time chasing fables."

"The ancient texts say you're wrong. Earth is very real. Just because we don't have evidence of it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Perhaps you need to look more closely."

It's supposed to be a night of celebration for his daughter and Bill, and Dave is grateful when JJ arrives with the noodles so that he doesn't have to get into a philosophical debate with a priestess about a subject he considers long dead. He had studied Earth for a while in graduate school and quickly learned it was a career killer. Academicians don't think highly of people that continue to pursue its existence, often laughing about them and treating them like pariah.

"Yummy!" Cheryl claps her hands at the sight of the noodles that she has been pining for.

"Would you please excuse me?" Dave asks Elosha, leaving Cheryl with her while she devours the two containers of leftovers in front of her.

"I want to learn about Earth," she states between mouthfuls of food.

"JJ, let me clean or sanitize or whatever needs to be done in here," Dave offers while standing in the doorway of her office as she looks around hesitantly.

"Here," she says handing him a container of disinfectant wipes. "I've already wiped down this area, but maybe you could work on that side of my desk while I finish up over here."

"Do you want me to talk to Laura about this?"

"No, I'm not upset. Bill and Laura have such a passionate love for each other. It's refreshing and beautiful. And it's not like I didn't do a few crazy things like this myself when I was their age, or maybe even when I was a bit older," she confesses with a playful smile. "Didn't you?"

"I refuse to answer on the grounds I might incriminate myself," he chuckles. "Alright, I won't say anything to Laura. Young love, young lovers. Those were the days," he sighs as he finishes up cleaning his side of the desk.

"Nobody ever said those days have to end."

It wasn't that long ago that his therapist said something similar to him, trying to open him up to the idea of future relationships. But with his new position as Dean and trying to raise two children by himself, he decided becoming involved with someone is not be a priority. And then there's the matter of his wounded heart and damaged soul from having lost the woman he planned to spend forever with. "No, I suppose not. It's just…it's just hard for me to imagine right now. Betty and I were together for a long time."

Realizing that Dave and his late wife must have had a similar passionate love for each other as Bill and Laura do, she nods her head in understanding. "It will take some time," she says softly. "I think people who have loved that deeply once are much more likely to love that deeply again. Once you learn how, you never forget."

"You know, I've never thought about it that way. I like your perspective. Are you going back to the reception now?"

"Yes, I think I'm done here," she replies, her eyes taking another sweep of the desk and the area around it.

"Would you care to dance again?"

"Are you sure you aren't bored, Craig?" Sandra asks as she dances in his arms.

"No, I like weddings. I like them even better when I have someone to dance with. And I like you, too, Sandra."

"Are you sure?"

"Sandra, quit worrying!" He places a soft kiss to her lips hoping she will understand that he is there because he genuinely likes her.

"I just don't want to find out that KC made you come with me."

"He didn't, I swear. KC doesn't tell me what to do. Except at work, he's my boss there. But outside of work, definitely not. Do you wanna go for a walk? It's kinda warm in here, and some fresh air down by the pond might be nice."

"I'd love to. Let me tell Daddy where I'm going."

"Take your time. I'm going to hit the restroom before we walk down there."

After finishing off the second bowl of leftovers, Cheryl heads to the dance floor again, first twirling by herself, then sharing dances with Saul and then Bill. Laura holds her in a sisters' dance before letting her run off to be with JJ and her father. Another thirty minutes pass, and her stomach begins to growl. This time she knows where to find the noodles, so rather than ask an adult who will probably just disappear and forget about her or find excuses not to bring her the noodles, she decides to take matters into her own hands and walks to JJ's office. When she opens the door, she finds Craig hunched over the desk, inhaling lines of a white powder up his nose. Startled, he snaps back and yells at her to get out, and she quickly shuts the door, running around the corner and hiding in the shadows.

A few seconds pass and he emerges from the office, calling her name. "Cheryl, I know you're out here. I'm sorry I yelled at you, you scared me. I was just taking some medicine. I'm not mad." He steps around the corner to find her cowering in the shadows. "Hey, it's okay," he says in a soothing tone, kneeling before her. "I'm not mad at you. I just have a headache and that medicine helps me."

"Are you sure?" she asks suspiciously, never having seen anyone take medicine like that before.

"Yeh, it's a special kind of medicine my doctor gave me."

As she stares at him trying to determine if he's lying, she notices his pupils are huge. Still not convinced of his explanation, she asks, "What's the name of the medicine?"

"I can't pronounce it," he shrugs. "One of those long names with lots of syllables. I was never any good at science – I'm not smart like you."

"I'm going to tell Sandra you have a headache," she states, trying to walk past him. His hand grabs her arm and pulls her back.

"No, don't do that. She'll just worry, and I don't want to ruin her evening. This will be our secret, okay? I'm already feeling better - nobody else needs to know."

Craig's demeanor is eerily familiar to the last time a boyfriend of Sandra's asked her to keep a secret. She recalls how her sister wound up in the hospital and then was arrested and even though things turned out for the better, she doesn't want to see Sandra hurt again. "Secrets get people into trouble. Especially Sandra. And I don't like you anymore."

"Fine then," he says angrily, gripping her arm tightly so she can't walk away. "Go ahead and tell her. You're just a little kid, you don't know what you saw. I took medicine for a headache. Do you really think anyone will believe anything you say over me? I'll just tell Sandra you want attention because you're jealous of all the time she's spending with me."

"Let go of me!" Cheryl cries.

"Then keep your mouth shut!" he orders squeezing her arm one more time before releasing her.

As soon as she's free, she runs to the bathroom and locks herself in the stall farthest from the door, crying and holding her arm where he pinched her. It's turning black and blue and while the pain from it causes her arm to throb, her sobs are from fear. Fear of Craig because he hurt her, fear that he threatened to lie about what happened, fear that he's going to hurt her sister, and fear that there's nothing she can do to stop it from happening.

The longer she hides in the stall, the more her fear switches over to anger. Craig was right about one thing – he's not as smart as she is. Before leaving the bathroom, she dampens a paper towel with cold water and holds it to her face, wiping away streaks that her tears left on her cheeks and calming her puffy eyes.

"Bill, I think it's time for us to go," Laura whispers when she observes the limo pulling into the parking lot. "I need to find Ellen and Jean to help me change."

"Wait – why are you changing?"

"I don't really want to wear this on the long flight. I have a post-reception outfit to change into."

"Oh," he says disappointedly.

"What's wrong?"

"I was hoping…," he begins but stops and glances down. "There's a Tauron tradition that the husband is the person that removes the wedding dress from his wife. But it's old fashioned and probably nothing you want to be part of."

"Hmmm," she hums at the thought of Bill's hands undoing each of the snaps and ties of her gown in a slow seduction. "I like any tradition where you get to undress me, as long as I get to remove this uniform from you."

"I agree to your terms, Mrs. Roslin-Adama."

"Shall we shake on it, Mr. Adama?" she offers her hand.

"I prefer a kiss."

Cheryl returns to the reception just a few minutes before Bill and Laura leave, saying their goodbyes to friends and family, thanking everyone for coming, and offering hugs and kisses to whomever wants them.

Immediately after the limo drives away, Cheryl runs to Sandra and leaps into her arms, hugging her tightly and giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Oh, my goodness, what's this for?" Sandra giggles at her surprisingly affectionate little sister.

"You're my big sister. I love you."

"I love you, too, Cher-bear."

As Cheryl rests her head on Sandra's shoulder, she narrows her eyes and locks them on Craig, making sure he notices the devious smile on her face. "I know."