Before the abduction

….

The aroma of coffee swirled around her as the first drops of dark liquid began filling the pot. Laura yawned and leaned against the counter, stretching her sore body. She wore leggings and one of Bill's old Fleet sweatshirts, feeling melancholy over her husband's impending departure.

It was early enough in the morning that their children were still asleep, so she knew the heavy, thumping footfalls coming down the stairs belonged to Bill. There was a flutter in her stomach, and she felt her heartbeat surge in her chest. Laura gave herself a sharp mental shake; she was far too old and married to act infatuated. Even so, a grin kept tugging at her lips while she filled two mugs with coffee and handed one to Bill when he joined her in the kitchen.

He took a grateful sip; strong, nutty, and slightly sweet flavors flow across his tongue, waking him up. Meanwhile, the morning paper was open on the counter Laura leaned against and she glanced through the current events pages. Using one hand to hold the magical brew, his other swept the hair away from her neck. Leaning in to kiss her, he noticed a red mark on her pale skin which he caressed gently.

"Sorry," he murmured, blushing as he recalled the previous night, "you OK?" Laura giggled and took a sip of coffee to help cover her silly grin. He would never hurt her, even when they were being rough; she knew that. But there had been something undeniably intense and unusual about him last night.

"I'm great. And I don't mind that," she reached up and covered his hand where he stroked her bruise. "It's alright on occasion, especially after a good night," she assured him, leaning into his soft touch. Bill relaxed, and, when he caught her grin, he filed this new information about Laura away in his mind. His wife was definitely wilder and more unpredictable than he could have ever guessed upon being first introduced to the prim and proper Secretary of Education. He rested his cheek against her soft but very tousled hair, enjoying their closeness. He shuddered as a wave of his uneasiness returned, and Laura noticed it.

"Bill, are you ok? Is there something you want to talk about?" she asked and felt him tense.

"I don't want to go. Everything in me is telling me not to leave," he admitted, voicing the foreboding feelings which had bothered him since last night. He still didn't find it easy to express feelings or admit a vulnerability, but he could be open with Laura in a way he couldn't with anyone else. He heard her set her mug down before two arms were wrapped around him.

"I'm not going anywhere, Bill. I'll be here when you come home," she promised. Her voice was as warm and rich as the morning coffee. "I'll miss you; I always do. But you'll be back," she said, looking up into his cobalt blue eyes which blazed with his intensity. "I'll make you a deal; I'll stay out of Cylon detention, and when you come back maybe we can have a repeat of last night," she offered, biting her lip shyly and gazing at him through her eyelashes.

"You're making it even harder to leave," he growled in his husky voice, pressing her back against the counter.

Later that day he stood on his Battlestar.

…

Liam Adama did not share his mother's love of thunderstorms. They relaxed together on the couch, but with every crack of thunder, he burrowed deeper into his mother's side. Laura held her little boy close and distracted him with a pirate movie. Seventeen-year-old Zak was spending the night at a friend's house, so only Laura and Liam were home. The soft parrot she'd recently bought him was tucked under his arm while they watched Pirates of Picon. The dialogue was cringeworthy. The actors were melodramatic. The set was laughable. A few minutes into the movie and Liam was no longer eyeing the windows as if lightning would burst through the glass and gobble him up.

A few days ago, she'd picked Liam up from the capital's daycare center where he always went after school as did other government official's children. There someone had told him all about pirates, and when Laura retrieved him, she was greeted with an endearingly obnoxious pirate accent. Once home, Liam had turned his bed into a ship. Zak had laughed hysterically when Liam asked their mother what the word 'wench' meant over dinner. There was no denying it; Liam was in a swashbuckling phase.

Thunder still cracked in the skies above Caprica City when the movie ended, but Liam's breathing had deepened. Little snores joined the rolls of thunder. When Laura was sure he was sound asleep she lifted him in her arms and, after bidding her security detail goodnight, carried him upstairs and put him in his bed-turned-ship.

…

It was the dead of night when Laura jerked awake, panting and gasping for breath. Her heart raced, and she groaned as images of her usual visions faded. The storm still raged outside, and waves of rain pounded against her windows. A wave of dizziness and nauseous swept through Laura as she stumbled out of bed. She pulled on her robe and raised a hand to rub her head as she felt an intense rush of unease. The feeling pooled in her gut before radiating outward. Her body shook. Deep breaths, she told herself. Deep breaths. She'd never had a panic attack from one of her visions before, but there was something intense happening to her right now.

Water, she wanted water. Cold water to ease her dry throat and cool her off. Even in the dark, she easily began walking downstairs but gasped when one of her security guards appeared out of the darkness as thunder clapped overhead. She swallowed hard when she saw the gun in his hand.

"The Captain stationed outside says he's seen that mysterious man we were told to keep a lookout for. He was at the end of the street a few times this evening. There are some others with him ma'am, but the night and the rain make it hard to see. Cap. wants you and Liam moved to a secure location." Laura rushed up the stairs faster than she'd ever gone before. Her only thought was for Liam. She burst into his room and gave a strangled cry at the empty bed.

"Liam!" she screamed, moving to look through his room. Closet, toy box, under the bed. Nothing. As she made her way out the door it hit her, and it was like running into a brick wall of absolute certainty. It was like Kobol, the Opera House, and the letter. It was an intense realization that one of her visions was finally becoming reality, and these visions had warned her she would have something precious to find, something more important than ensuring her own safety. With a sick feeling, she realized that the thing so dear to her, and what her visions had warned her to protect, was her son.

"Liam!" she yelled again, darting out his bedroom door and searching frantically for her boy. She knew the Cylons were coming, using the dead of night and a thunderstorm to help mask their approach. Her guard moved to help in the search but kept close to his charge. Laura's anxiety grew by the second as her panicked voice called out for her son over and over. He wasn't upstairs. Gasping for breath, she dashed downstairs and could almost swear she heard the metal clanging of Cylon soldiers coming. Her blood ran cold. Tears of fear gathered in her eyes. He wasn't in the living room, or the kitchen. She gasped and ran to the only other place she hadn't looked. The office.

"Liam?!" she yelled, throwing herself through the door. The storm could barely be heard here; the room was nestled in the heart of the house.

"Mommy?" A soft, sleepy voice answered. Laura's heart thundered in her chest as she rounded the desk and saw Liam on the floor. He had two of Bill's model ships on the carpet with him, and it looked like he'd fallen asleep playing with them. She realized that he must have snuck down to play with the ships; his father had often told him model ships weren't toys. It didn't matter; tears of relief were running down her face.

"Liam!" she cried out in joy and pulled him to his feet, hugging him close. They all jumped at a loud crash from the front door. A scream echoed in the night. The storm could not cover the sound. Liam clutched his mother.

"Upstairs ma'am. Lock yourself in your room and call the police," her guard ordered as he held his gun up. Liam whimpered, but Laura moved quickly and hauled her eight-year-old into her arms even though he was too big to carry now. She dashed up the stairs, not faltering when another crash at the door could be heard.

Her visions came back to her with every step up the stairs she took. She remembered in each vision how the Cylon's got into Colonial One. She raced into her room, closing and locking the door. Her son was set down while sniffling and trying to ask what was going on. Laura breathed heavily and tried to think; she knew the Cylons always got in. Horrible sounds came from downstairs.

"Liam, listen to me. Bad men are coming, so I need you to hide. You can't make any noise no matter what. Ok. Don't move. Don't cry. Don't make any noise. This is important. Do you understand?" she demanded. The sight of Liam's tear-stained face tore at Laura's heart, and she knew tears were running down her own face. She pulled him over to the cedar chest at the end of the bed and opened it. She used it to store extra blankets which were quickly pulled out before Liam was hoisted up and settled inside.

"The police will come, and you can come out then. Not before. No matter what happens. No moving. No sound. Understand? No matter what." Liam nodded his head, too scared to speak, and Laura bent down to kiss him. "I love you, so, so, much baby," she said and then shut the lid. The blankets were quickly tossed on top of the chest in the hope that it would look less conspicuous. Laura felt the ice-cold hands of fear grip her heart when the metal clanging of centurion steps echoed through the house, mixing with the sound of rain and thunder. She darted for the gun case under the bed, yanking it out, but before she could input the code to open it, the door to the bedroom was easily smashed in.

There they stood; centurions flanking a Model One. Before Laura could even move, a centurion's arm whipped out and smashed into her, sending her sprawling out onto the floor and away from the case. Pain shot through her body when she hit the wall, and she felt blood on her face. She couldn't even say anything before a hand clamped tightly over her mouth. Despite the pain, she struggled and was able to bite down on the hand. There was a yelp of pain, and the hand's grip went slack, allowing her to slide away from Cavil. She scrambled to her feet, and gasped when she saw centurions advancing on her. She tried to move away, but one of centurions grabbed her. She fought back fiercely. Things were smashed and knocked over. It was a fight Laura knew she couldn't win, but she struggled anyway. Somehow, she slipped away a second time.

A fist exploded against her face, and she fell against the bed while blood dripped from her nose and lip. Distantly, she heard her cry of pain and prayed that Liam would keep quiet. She felt someone grab her by the hair, and she found herself being propelled across the room until her body landed on the floor. Trying to stand, her legs gave out beneath her. Dazed and hurting, she felt herself being held face down on the ground. She felt powerless and shuddered. An old man's voice growled in her ear.

"Stop fighting, Madame President. You know we are stronger than you, but I don't want to hurt you," he said. Her struggle continued, but they held her down. Her energy and strength began to fail her. "Good girl," he crooned at her when her movements stopped. At that, she lashed out again, smashing her head against where the sound of Cavil's voice was coming from. The dizziness in her head was amplified tenfold, but she heard his grunt of pain.

"What do you want from me?" Laura whimpered.

"I want you to come and talk to the other Cylons with me. I've decided to personally take you there," he growled and the pressure on her back shifted. Her arms were pulled roughly behind her, and her wrists tied together. Cavil rolled her over, and their eyes met. He was almost amazed the centurions hadn't melted under the angry fire of her glare.

"My husband will find me," she hissed. "He always does. You will regret this," she promised, even as tears escaped her eyes. Her gaze was filled with the promise of retribution. Cavil didn't respond; for once he had no witty comeback. Instead, he pressed tape to her mouth. She struggled through the whole process until something hit her head again. Darkness fell around her.

…

After Adama's Return

News vans and camera personnel swarmed around the Police Station. The wolves had descended the second it slipped that a member of President Adar's political cabinet had been abducted. Police officers kept the ravenous pack of humans away from the colonial commander being escorted into the building. The stoic man didn't notice the flashes of cameras or the screamed questions.

Bill moved as if on autopilot, like he had when Laura died years ago. His legs felt as if they were made of lead, and his stomach felt as if someone had sucker punched him. Bitter anguish squeezed his heart in her hand. The hope of finding Laura kept him functioning. Stoic and controlled, he moved up the stairs and through the doors of the station. The officers guided him through the building until he was shown into a private room where his four children were waiting. His facade faltered, and he nearly fell to his knees in relief.

"Daddy!" Liam screamed, throwing himself off Kara's lap and charging forward. Bill hoisted his son into his arms and crushed him in a hug.

"Liam," he croaked, feeling the boy's small hands gripping his uniform, while his little body shook with the force of his sobs.

"Dad," Bill's eyes snapped to Zak. He'd approached his father right behind Liam. Bill used one arm to keep ahold of Liam while the other yanked Zak into a tight hug. His boys were safe.

"You're both alright?" he asked, holding them close. They nodded. Liam leaned back to look his father in the eyes as he choked words out.

"They…hiccup … they took mommy! They took… hiccup… mommy!" The terror and sadness in such a young voice ripped through everyone in the room.

"He said the people who took her sounded like metal men," Kara reported. Lee and Kara sat in chairs looking miserable.

"She hid Liam," Lee spoke up. He looked particularly distraught; his last words to Laura had been angry ones. He'd accused her of all kinds of things after they'd tried to tell him about the alternative timeline; of having an affair with his father while Bill was married to Carolanne, of manipulating all of them, and of being a liar. Now all he wanted was to see her again and apologize. "She hid Liam in the cedar chest before the kidnappers broke in."

Bill could imagine Laura frantically trying to hide their son while Cylons broke into their house. Once she knew the Cylons were coming, her driving purpose would have been to protect her child. She must have been terrified, he thought.

"Mom…hiccup… she told me to be quiet. Not to move…hiccup…until the police came," Liam sniffed. Bill rubbed a soothing hand along his son's back.

"You're ok now. You're safe," he promised.

"I think they hurt her. There were a lot of crashing sounds, and mommy screamed. She told the bad man…hiccup…that you'd find her." Liam gave his father a pleading look. "Will you find mommy? Mommy said you always find her," he asked. His eyes were filled with tears but there was a shred of hope as well, as if he believed his father could work magic and make everything better. An anguished sound came from Bill as he listened to Liam tell him his wife's words.

"I'll find her," he swore. Hold on Laura, I'm coming, he thought.

"You always do, Bill," a new voice joined them, rising from behind where Bill stood holding Liam. They turned and faced Saul Tigh who'd appeared. His eyes blazed with an angry fury matching that of those in the room; the fire of a man who remembered another life. Not only had his memories returned, but he was ready to help his best friend take on the whole frakkin' universe. "We'll make the bastards regret taking her," Saul promised Bill.

….

Author's note: thank you to the guests who review this! And a special thanks to Happymisa, Magges, AndrezMNFCF, NicolesFantasy, Kleam, Anastasia1224, Adama-Roslininlove, and skyandclouds for your reviews.

Seriously, I love seeing the reviews. I love hearing what people think. What people want. What people responded to in the chapter. I imagine a few people are concerned about poor Laura right now, but I gave ya'll Saul Tigh.