Author's note: some mature bits at the end. Ye be warned.

...

"What happened to you?" Bill had to repeat his question for Laura, trying to pierce the dazed haze in which she seemed trapped. Tilting her head, she looked at him in confusion. His hands were sweeping over her as if searching for something. He paused, grasping her shoulders. "Laura, do you realize you're covered in blood?"

"Oh!" she gasped softly. She looked down, following his pointed nod. The hand that had held the knife was covered in crimson and there were smears all over her jacket as well. She frowned and began to tremble as she stared at the red, rubbing her fingers together and feeling it stick between the digits. She wanted to be sick, but focused her attention back on Bill. He was gently trying to examine his traumatized wife for injury.

"It's not mine," she offered, letting him move her around as she looked between him and the blood on her hand and torso.

"Laura?"

"You're alive," she breathed. "You're alive!" She looked deep into his concerned blue eyes. "My sons?" she asked, taking a deep, steadying breath, but her voice still cracked when she asked, "Are my boys alright?"

"Yeah. Liam's on the Galactica," Bill said, wrapping an arm around Laura as she sagged against him.

"Zak and Lee?"

"Alive. We're all alive," he promised. "Zak's helping Doc Cottle treat marines who were injured taking over Prometheus. Lee's down here searching for Kara."

Laura nodded, her mind processing what was happening and trying to decide how it could be real. Bill had come back, just like he had once before on Kobol, uniformed in grey camouflage and carrying a rifle he'd slung behind his back. His face creased with worry and his hands were probably the only thing keeping her upright. She was staring at him, taking in every detail of his appearance.

"You're alive," she murmured again, dropping her head to his shoulder, feeling how solid he felt against her cheek. One of his hands splayed against her back, anchoring her to him. She could feel each finger holding her in place, the strength and power in his grasp soothing her. What a strange thing to focus on, she realized.

The surge of relief Bill had felt at finding Laura morphed into concern and rage. He realized she was going into a delayed shock. She was white as a lily from Leonis and so very quiet. He wouldn't soon forget the glazed look in her eyes. Only shuddering breaths left her body. Somehow, their unborn child seemed alright, but Bill was going to drive his fist into the bastard's face who'd told his pregnant wife that her family was dead and then dragged her down to this planet. If he let it, the anger could boil over, but she needed him more. She needed his calm and strength, to feel close to him, so he stowed his rage and let her tuck her face under his chin. She didn't cry and they hadn't even kissed. Bill wondered if it was their normal professional reticence in public, or if she was too shaken to do anything but lean against him. Both probably; she believed in being strong in front of their people.

The few exchanges of gunfire had given way to silence. Bill had sent most of the marines ahead, a few guards forming a perimeter around the reunited Admiral and President. They were spaced among the trees, with their backs to the couple to allow them their privacy while assuring their security.

Bill murmured soothing words to her, knowing Laura wasn't ready to answer the burning questions he had. For one of the few times since he'd known her, she seemed fragile. From what he'd heard in a report from Tigh and Ziegler as he headed down to Kobol, his wife had stayed strong and fierce despite Zarek and Dagon's best efforts. She was allowed to have these moments even if he wanted to demand to know why she'd been running through Kobol's woods wielding a knife and covered in blood.

"How?" Laura asked.

"Commander Ziegler's reports. He said Dagon and Zarek were hell bent on opening that damned tomb. He reported you'd been taken down with them and that he sent a detachment of his marines with Helo's Sharon to try and catch up."

"There were gunshots," Laura remembered.

"And because I remembered where the tomb is and have a pilot or two that can actually land a raptor on that tiny ledge up there, I took a group up there."

"Dagon's group got caught in the middle. I ran," Laura suddenly pulled back, her eyes wild. "Kara. Where is Kara?" Laura began to move as if to charge back off in the direction she'd come, fueled, no doubt, by determination and mother's instinct while still existing in enough of a haze that the action seemed like a good idea. Still unsteady, she swayed on her feet and reached back to her husband for support.

"Easy there, Madame President. At least wait for the soldier with a gun," Bill said, holding her fast. She was a brash woman, he knew that, but not careless. "You're scaring me, Laura," he said watching her, noting her wide eyes, which took in her surroundings but seemed to look through it all as if not really seeing anything.

"Sorry," she murmured automatically.

"Get me a sitrep," Bill ordered one of their guards. The corporal nodded and darted through the trees to where the skirmish had taken place. The Admiral knew Lieutenant Wade and Sergeant Matthias would have everything well in hand as Galactica's marines took control of the situation. It was better to be certain, though, and he would do anything to keep Laura safe.

Dagon's group had stopped to make camp in part because the hour was growing late. Now the lush greens and earthy browns of Kobol were bleeding out and becoming a dull grey wash as twilight fell. The sun, hidden behind rain clouds, sank low on the horizon.

Laura and Bill walked through the trees, Bill keeping a guarded lookout along with the wary guards. He told Laura about the sabotage and repairing the Galactica. She stayed close to him, which he preferred. He kept an arm around her, keeping her reassured and steady.

"Sir, Commander Dagon's group has been subdued. Dagon has been captured," Adama's marine reported, returning to them. "Captain Adama and Lieutenant Thrace are waiting for you up ahead." Bill could hear the relieved exhale from Laura. She kept moving, undaunted by the thought of seeing Dagon again. Still, Adama noticed that it took more concentration than it normally would have for her to keep putting one foot in front of the other. He decided they'd see Kara and Lee, deal with Dagon and Zarek, and then he was finding a quiet spot to take care of Laura. She needed to see her children first.

The two reunited leaders heard Kara before they saw her. In full Starbuck rage, she was yelling. The stinging bite in every word she said was unmistakable and more than one marine cringed at her onslaught.

"...gods-damn self-righteous bastard, just walking back in here like you frakking do!" Sometimes Kara's voice was strangely muffled, and there were pauses here and there. "Stop frakking apologizing. I'm frakking mad at you." There was another break in the attack, but soon Kara was yelling again. "No! You're frakking late, Apollo. Have a hot date with your hand on the way down?!"

Moving carefully as night fell, Laura and Bill walked through the trees and caught sight of Starbuck. It quickly became clear what was going on. Kara was ripping into Lee and when she wasn't doing that, she was kissing him soundly, but only when it suited her. She hit him when that suited her better. There didn't seem to be an end in sight, so Kara continued full steam ahead while the marines gave them as much space as was tactically sound.

Lee kept a look of patent understanding on his face both out of a sense of self preservation and genuine desire to do right by Kara and let her vent. His attention was locked on his irate fiancé (he hoped he could still call her that). When Laura and Bill approached his gaze flicked to his stepmother.

He regarded Laura with nervous eyes that shifted around uncomfortably. Everything he said to her on Colonial One during their last meeting flashed in his mind. His throat went dry and he barely felt the next swing Starbuck aimed at him. The lack of a response irritated Kara, and she glanced to see what had caught his attention, only softening when she saw her adoptive parents. She looked at Lee coldly.

"Fix," she ordered, nodding at Laura and folding her arms. She was panting heavily as she recovered from her outpouring of Starbuck-like affection. She glared at Lee as he approached Laura. He'd been contrite enough with her and more than a little sincere sounding. Still, Apollo had fallen from Olympus and Kara was inclined to make him crawl to get back into her good graces. Lee's willingness to eat humble pie for once was starting to curb some of her anger. As was his showing back up alive. She sighed and took a deep breath, pushing back the blond hair that had fallen out of her ponytail. She was ready to kiss him soundly again for coming back, but she let him talk to Laura.

"I'm sorry. What I said was..." Lee began. Before he could stumble over more words, Laura grabbed her stepson and hauled him into a hug, shocking any further words right out of him.

"It's good to see you, and I know, Lee," she assured. Lee was instantly hugging his stepmother back, thanking the gods she wasn't inclined to be wrathful like his biological mother.

"I missed you," Lee said sincerely, finally able to meet his stepmother's piercing green eyes. He glanced between the two women. "I missed you both, and I am so sorry."

"You damn well better remember that fly-boy," Kara growled, giving Lee an approving nod. "You can finish groveling to mommy later. Right now, you're coming with me," she announced. After all, Kara's tough girl act wouldn't let her break down and cry in front of the rest of the soldiers, but she was, admittedly, relieved to have Lee back and in need of doing just that. After hitting him some more, of course.

…

"If you're feeling better, I'd still really like to know what got blood on the President," Bill asked. "Why is there blood all over my pregnant wife?" he added in a growl, a pleading note in his tone that was unusual for the reserved man.

Laura realized, as she came out of the fog her mind had protected itself with, that her husband must be tremendously worried about her. His professional facade was still in place, but there was no mistaking his look of loving concern. He'd kept his hand on the small of her back, physical touch keeping them linked since their reunion, fulfilling a need both of them felt. It was subtle and gentle while maintaining appropriate decorum. The reassurance they shared through the bond was something Laura needed, especially as she remembered what she'd done with the knife. She'd never killed anyone herself before, not even a Cylon—although, she never forgot that her presidential orders had sometimes resulted in death. She did what she needed to preserve humanity.

This time she'd watched the light fade from someone's eyes and her own hand had been the cause. It had been up close and too personal, she'd felt the warm blood spurting over her hand and felt how terribly fragile human life was. Using a knife to kill someone was dirty, close, and something she never wanted to do again. She had literal blood on her hands now.

"Laura!" Bill said, his voice like gravel, bringing her back to now.

"Sirs," a corporal interrupted before she could say anything. "Commander Dagon is under guard just over the hill there. We've still been unable to locate Zarek," he reported.

"Then get your men together and find him now!" Bill snapped, enraged that there was still a dangerous man out there while Laura was out in the open.

"He's dead," Laura said, looking at the blood on herself for a long moment before her eyes traveled up and met her husband's gaze. He studied her for a moment as a slow understanding took place.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Laura nodded, raising the hand covered in blood pointedly. "He's dead," she repeated, a cold edge to her voice. Bill motioned for the corporal to make himself scarce. "I took a human life, and there is no part of me that regrets that act."

"You had to protect yourself, protect the baby," Bill said, knowing she'd only have taken a life in self defense.

"The baby. Somehow she's hanging on," Laura took an unsteady breath, as focused on her daughter's presence, rubbing her non-bloody hand on the bump. She was still there, stubbornly refusing to let the outside world bother her despite her precarious state. Knowing how easy it would have been to lose her daughter on Kobol, Laura's steely resolve closed in around her. "Where is Dagon?" she demanded, suddenly feeling the wrath and fury of a thousand suns burning through her.

"Madame President…" The look she gave him ended any protests he may have made. "This way," he said, guiding her with his hand.

Stopping without warning Laura bent down, checking a marine's pulse.

"There's always a cost in blood," Laura said sadly, closing the eyes of the corpse of Corporal David. Even knowing the gods had abandoned Kobol, she said a prayer over the body of the man who'd helped her. He'd seemed a decent man at heart. Bill gave her the space, letting her do as she willed, knowing she'd do what she wanted anyways.

"Can your men make sure he's buried?" Laura asked her husband, and the Admiral gave a crisp nod before extending a hand to help her up. She murmured quiet thanks before moving on.

Dagon was bound, his hands chained behind his back. Someone, probably the glowering Sharon Valerii standing right behind him, had forced him to his knees. There was mud from Kobol streaked all over his military duty uniform. Dirt and grime were smeared across his face but it didn't hide the bruises and welts forming on his skin. They were strangely shaped, and a bloody arrow of Apollo discarded nearby made Laura suspect that Kara had something to do with the damage. She'd probably jumped the battle-hardened commander with nothing more than the antique that she'd been tasked to carry to beat him with.

Dagon glared and snarled at anyone and everyone, an unending stream of threats pouring forth. Blood and spittle flew out of his mouth in his rage. If he moved too much, Sharon's grip shoved him back onto his knees. He spat on the ground as Adama and Roslin drew closer, making a grotesque statement. It didn't phase either of them. No, their faces were hardened masks of determination and strength, expressions clearly showing their people that these two leaders would take on any puny Battlestar Commander who dared to challenge them.

Adama had drawn his gun, and was pointing it directly at Dagon's head. He wouldn't miss if he needed to fire, and no one was under any illusion that he wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger if the warrior who'd so fallen so far from grace even thought about moving in Laura's direction. Adama's aim was steady as he kept Dagon in his sights.

"Here to execute me yourself?" Dagon provoked, his nostrils flaring in anger. "I'd have made one of my corporals kill you." The marines standing guard raised their rifles just a bit higher and Sharon grabbed the commander's shoulder, warning him and holding him in place.

"Why sabotage Galactica?" Adama asked.

"I take care of my own. You and your pet Cylon are dangerous, and I wasn't taking any chances when it came to my people's lives. Didn't you learn anything from Adar? He tried to make peace with them."

"Adar was a moron," Adama admitted. "Then again, so were you. You tried to fix things by murdering all the souls on board Galactica and then by dragging the President of the Colonies down to Kobol while she's…"

Dagon had the audacity to laugh. "Oh, piss off. Your girl's fine. Seems capable of holding her own."

"That's Madame President to you, Mr. Dagon," Laura said. "Now let me tell you what's going to happen." She raised her chin, looking down at the man in the dirt with something akin to disgust in her stony gaze. "You are going to be dragged back to Galactica in chains. You will be held in the brig and kept alive until a court martial is convened. You'll be found guilty, stripped of rank, and sentenced to death for mutiny. After the firing squad executes you, your body will be jettisoned into space with no ceremony because the Fleet will be glad to see you disappear," she promised. Dagon looked between Adama and Roslin.

"Well, my fate seems pretty sealed to me. Got the balls to just pull that trigger now?" Dagon taunted, eyeing Adama.

"Justice must be served," Laura said simply.

"Justice? Well, I'm getting all emotional now."

"It's over. You lost."

"Keep an eye on him. If he tries anything," Bill said, locking eyes with Sharon, "use your discretion." The Cylon gave a nod of understanding.

…

Their tent was situated a good distance away from Dagon and the rest of the prisoners. Bill wouldn't allow even a subdued enemy near his President or his wife as night fell. Wounded animals were dangerous. As a precaution, Galactica's marines were stationed throughout the camp, more than a couple of whom still had lingering frustrations they'd willingly work out on someone making trouble. With safety assured, the true leaders of humanity sequestered themselves in their makeshift shelter. They'd return to Galactica in the morning when light returned.

Laura collapsed on the ground tarp, drawing up her knees and examining the drying blood on her hand. With the adrenaline wearing off, bone-deep weariness was overcoming her. After fastening the flaps of the tent for privacy, Bill took both her hands in hand in his.

"It was easy. I didn't hesitate," Laura said, watching Bill gently begin to wipe the blood away with a cloth he'd retrieved from his pack.

"Hesitation gets you killed," Bill replied knowingly. "First thing viper jocks, marines, medics, and all of us learn in battle."

"I can't stop looking at it," Laura said, spreading her fingers and watching her husband remove the offending crimson with great care. "I'm not a soldier, Bill. I'm still a teacher at heart. I don't want to feel nothing at killing someone, even if it was Zarek," she spat out the name like it was a dirty word.

Bill continued his thorough work, washing the blood away with the practiced ease of someone who'd done it many times. It reminded Laura of just how lethal her husband was. He'd killed others before by his own hand, and she knew that.

His understanding eyes found her own as the last red traces were wiped from her skin. Examining her, Bill was satisfied he'd left no trace marring her skin. Job done, he tossed the now grotesque cloth to the side and raised her hands in his, brushing an affectionate feather-light kiss to her knuckles.

"Don't waste your energy trying to feel something. I know you're a compassionate woman, but you also understand when something needs to be done."

"He looked me in the eye and told me my husband and my sons were gone. From that moment on, I wanted to see him dead," she said darkly.

"Understandable," Bill said. He felt a shiver travel the length of her body and then up through her hands where he gripped them. "Laura, you're freezing!" He noticed how icy her fingers felt clasped in his own.

"It's the rain. Didn't have a jacket at first."

Gritting his teeth to silence the onslaught of insults he could direct at the brainless grunts who'd not taken care of their President, Bill kept his focus on her. Her body continued to react adversely to the cold, and Bill realized she was still not in the right headspace to take care of herself. He shifted into tactical survival mode. She couldn't afford to get sick. Fighting any disease was the last thing her body needed.

"Let's get you out of these wet clothes," he said, keeping his anger controlled and his deep voice gentle and even. He reached for the zipper of her jacket but noticed her reluctance, frowning when a nervous shadow passed over her face. What the hell had happened, he wondered holding his hands up. "Laura, it's just me," he soothed, watching her bite her lip. After a moment, she let him help her out of the jacket as she trembled again. Rage pooled in his gut when he saw the angry marks on her skin she'd wanted to keep covered.

"Zarek," Laura muttered, and Bill's blood boiled. He saw red as anger blazed in him.

"If he wasn't dead, I'd wrap my hands around his throat to kill him slowly and painfully myself," Bill swore, glaring at the offensive marks as if the fire in his gaze could burn them away. Laura crossed her arms to try and cover them.

"I struggled but…"

"You don't have to hide or explain, love," Bill murmured, reaching out for one of her once more. "I'm sorry I wasn't here,"

"Not your fault. Gods, I missed you though," she said, his gentle care breaking the dam that held back her tears, and they finally began flowing freely down her cheeks. The privacy of the tent allowed her just to be a woman who deeply felt her husband's loss and return. Her heart still ached at the pain of believing him taken from her. "I missed you so much, thinking I'd never see you again."

"I'm here, we're together again," he promised, pushing the damp wisps of hair clinging to her face back behind her ear. Moving to carefully wrap her in his arms, he cringed at how cold and rain-soaked her clothes were. She leaned against while his hand slipped up the back of her shirt, feeling soft, cold, bare skin under his fingertips. He heard her soft gasp as he rubbed her back, letting the heat from his body warm her. He smiled when his wife breathed his name like a prayer, and he whispered soothing nonsense to her.

"Those frakkers weren't keeping me from you," he said, his deep voice carrying a dangerous edge, a warning for anyone who came between him and his wife. He was a dangerous man, she was a dangerous woman, and they were unstoppable together. "It's always been between us. We may have come down here separately, but we're going back together."

"Together," she agreed.

"Come on, we still need to get you out of these wet clothes."

"I don't have anything else," she murmured, glancing down at the marks on her. Bill moved one hand to her face and tipped it up towards him, looking deep into her eyes.

"It's just me, Laura," he reassured her. "You're okay with me."

Laura smiled slightly at his tenderness, his urge to comfort and care for her. He'd learned when to back off and give her space, but this wasn't one of those times. The iron-willed and stern-faced Admiral of the Fleet was a caring and warm man under his armor. His need to take care of his wife was practically palatable in the air, and she let him, trusting him implicitly as she did.

"Thank you, Bill," she breathed.

He carefully tugged her clothing off, continuing to stroke and caress each bit of bare skin he uncovered. Her skin pebbled from the cold and at his touch. Once his task was completed, Bill wrapped her in a blanket retrieved from his pack and spread her clothes out as much as possible so they might dry overnight. Laura chuckled at his military practicality, finding his pragmatism an attractive feature. The moment he joined her back on the tarp, she pulled at his own clothes.

"Come join me," she said, looking at him with a myriad of emotions, but most of all there was longing. It was so deep and sincere in her eyes that it stole his breath away as he looked at her. In her expression, he read the days of tension that needed to be released and her need to reconnect with him.

Making short work of his uniform, he joined her under the blanket, pulling his beloved wife close. The heat of his body met her cold skin, and she moaned the sensation of their bodies pressed together once more, a feeling she'd feared lost to her. His lips found hers while his arms wrapped around her body, his larger frame warm and wonderful against her own.

"Really thought you were gone. They had a funeral. Handed me a folded flag."

"I know. Heard you didn't take that lying down," he said, letting the pride show in his voice, leaning over and capturing her lips in a slow, sweet kiss. He felt her lips begin to move against his, mouth opening to him. Coming up for air, he noted a new gleam in her eyes.

"Damn right," she said. "I love you, Bill," she couldn't, wouldn't, contain the words as her hands touched everywhere, feeling warm skin under her palms.

"Love you too," he said, the tenderness in his voice overwhelming. Laura pressed her head against his chest, feeling his warmth and the strength of his arms around her. He smiled, bringing a lightness to his face that made him look less severe before kissing her face, her cheeks, her nose, and finally her lips. She grinned.

"You know, I should have frakked you on Kobol the first time we were here," she teased. Bill chuckled, knowing he should have expected something audacious from her, before kissing her deeply and desperately, all the grief and fear of the past weeks turning to passion. Their tongues dueled and caressed each other as Bill laid her down on the ground, coming to rest beside her.

"Well, that would have dispelled any lingering notion I had of you being a naïve little schoolteacher," he said.

Her heart thundered wildly as nerves sparked with pleasure wherever she was touched. She held him to her, tangling her fingers in his thick hair, reveling in their closeness. The anguish and anger she'd gone through were quickly translating into lust and desire, a need to experience something life-affirming.

"We've come so far since the first time we were here…" her further words faltering into unintelligible croaks as her husband used one hand to trace along her curves. She couldn't help but arch into his touch. He knew how she loved to be kissed and caressed, and he never disappointed. This time he was infinitely gentle and tender, mindful of her ordeal and the baby. He'd always been a thoughtful lover, balancing care and passion. Laura hummed her pleasure as he rolled her under him.

Their eyes met, and they felt their love binding them irrevocably together. Between the times they'd been on Kobol, their love had never waned and had only grown. He looked at the onyx pendant Laura still wore, remembering the moment he'd presented it to her as he'd finally come to believe he had someone who was his other half, someone created to be his soulmate. Laura was his equal, his other half, and he was more relieved than he had the words to express that fate had brought them back together, again and again. He let his actions speak all he felt for her.

Laura gasped when his body joined hers. Her husband's mouth covering hers, swallowing her mewling cries. He filled her senses so completely that the day faded away and their hostile surroundings seemed almost irrelevant. Her arms wrapped tightly around his neck as their gazes stayed locked while rocking together, slowly and intensely. Pleasure built until she arched under him with a muffled cry while only a second later her husband followed her into blissful oblivion.

In the afterglow of lovemaking, Bill maneuvered them carefully so that he laid on his back while Laura nestled on his shoulder. They caught their breath together as Laura traced the lines of his muscles, still enjoying the feeling of his skin. The whole thing was impossibly intimate, comforting, fulfilling. Somehow, here in Bill's arms, nothing was amiss, and she was back where she was meant to be.

"Laura, go to sleep," Bill commanded. She was too genuinely exhausted to protest his order or do anything but obey. Her body was unaccustomed to trekking through the woods and had gone through an emotional turmoil that day. "Sleep," he said once more, resting his hand over hers, stilling her lingering movements.

As she drifted off to sleep, an ancient power stirred through the forests of Kobol. From every corner of the planet it echoed, whispering of a vanished world and timeless grief. Yet an enduring memory from the Cycles of Time sang out that the Leaders and the Harbinger had returned, once again setting in motion a chain of events that mortals could hardly begin to understand.

From the mountains of Kobol came a voice, unheard by those except to whom it called. Laura stirred from where she balanced in the liminal space between reality and dreams, hearing the distant call she couldn't explain. In her sleep she dreamed of a stone tomb and a sad woman, begging her to once more return.

…

Author's note: Sorry it took longer to update, but we are living in interesting times with the virus. There was much adjusting in order to work from home. I hope ya'll enjoyed this latest chapter. My beta was kinda brutal this round. I would love kudos/constructive criticism. Someone requested smut, and this is about what I felt comfortable writing… for now.