R rated chapter…be aware…you have been warned. This is a honeymoon after all, with Starbuck…did you think it was going to be just a bunch of sleeping?
Intent on kissing Rene's neck while his hands tried to find her through all the ruffles, and not drop the open ambrosia bottle, he barely noticed when the lift doors opened.
"Starbuck," Rene purred, "this is our floor."
"Uh huh," he mumbled into her neck, "You even smell good."
He felt her gently push at his chest, propelling him backwards out of the lift as he stumbled over his own feet trying to keep his lips in contact with her neck.
"Come on, Loverboy. You have the key?"
He broke contact as he patted himself down, fumbling to pull the key out of his pocket, and finally keying the door open. He reached for her again, pulling her into his arms with a long kiss, her lips tasting sweeter than ambrosia, before reaching an arm down and lifting her up into his arms spilling most of the bottle in his hands in the process. She gasped in surprise at his move, and he wondered briefly if he would drop her. He was just drunk enough to where he wasn't steady on his feet, but brave enough to try carrying her across the threshold.
His reflexes didn't fail him as he was able to traverse the main room without letting her fall, but far more importantly, without having to break the contact of his lips with hers. He found the bed by bumping into it, too intent on the kiss to bother looking for it. He tried to lay her gently on the bed, but it was more accurate to say they tumbled onto it as he let go of the ambrosia bottle. He groaned in defeat as his lips lost touch with hers.
She laughed at his failure to be graceful. "So that's how that phrase got started," she said but could not say any more as his lips found hers again. His hands searched through the ruffles to find her. He had the odd sensation of flying through the cloud cover of his home world, breaking through the mist to find Caprica City gleaming in the daylight.
"Home," he muttered breathlessly against her lips, before losing himself in the sensation again. His hands searched for her under all that fluff.
"Starbuck," she brought a soft hand up to stroke his face. "Handsome, it's going to take some effort to get me out of this dress."
"Mmm," he murmured into her lips before trailing kisses down to her neck, purring in her ear, "I like a challenge." His thumb snagged on a something, and a gem bit into his hand. He shook it free of the layer of silk. He reached around to her back, searching for the buttons or hooks while his lips pursued her pulse. He tried kissing in time to the beats while his hand fumbled for the lacings on the dress. His fingers couldn't quite grasp anything amongst the silk and stones.
He gave up trying to find the fastenings in the back as his lips followed down her collar bone, to the hollow of her neck and the path it led into that plunging neckline. He'd been dying all night to follow the invitation that neckline offered. He lingered there and she let him, sighing in pleasure as her own hands came up to run through his hair. He loved the feel of her skin and got his fill before dragging his lips away to retrace his path up to the hollow or her neck, then back to her lips.
Her voice was low as she grumbled, "There's too many clothes in the way. We have to stop, at least to get all this off before we ruin it."
"So what if we do?" he mused, leaving her lips to find the one spot just below her ear he knew would make her purr in contentment. He found it and felt her lose herself to the moment, arching her neck as she melted. He whispered, feeling her tremble at the breath in her ear, "Are you planning to wear it again?"
Her answer was a soft moan, "No."
She sighed as he kissed the spot again, before he hummed softly in her ear, "I'll just rip it off you."
"Starbuck," she sighed plaintively. "The IFB will kill me if we wreck this dress."
"I'll keep you safe from the IFB, from everyone," he murmured feeling her tremble at the veracity in his words. "You're all mine now and no one can hurt you."
Her hands left his hair to wrap around his neck tightly. She seemed to be hanging on for dear life as he felt the wave of emotion engulf her. He remained firm in his purpose, his lips softly kissing the spot where she was most vulnerable.
"I love you," he said, feeling the emotion sweep him into its whirlpool, pulling him down into depths he didn't want to escape. He felt her shiver before she held on even tighter. "It's alright, I'm not going anywhere without you," he murmured reassuringly.
He pulled back, knowing he was pushing her over an edge that would shatter her defenses and she might need time to regroup or she might bring up her walls and shut him out. He wanted to go over that wall with her. He reached a hand up to her cheek, gazing deeply in her eyes. A storm raged there, waves of trepidation and hope crashing together as she tried to ride through it.
"I love you," he said again trying to chase away the fear in her eyes. "You and me, we can do anything."
He saw the daybreak of optimism shine in her eyes before she closed them tight as if to hold it in and not lose it.
"I promise," he said, not totally sure what it was he was promising her, only that she needed to hear it. He kissed her and she didn't respond at first before melting into his arms. He needed her now more than ever. His hands searched again for the fastening to the dress, swift and sure as he found them, a lace binding, a hook, a button. It was a fortress maze back there. He was unsure what to do, keep kissing her or concede the loss and just rip the dress off her.
Her mumbled, "Ouch," into his lips as his medals raked across the exposed skin of her chest settled the debate. He rolled away.
"Frack, I give. How the hades do I get you out of that thing before those jewels slice me to shreds?"
"Very carefully. Apparently, I have good taste. This dress is worth thousands. Help me up, I can barely move in this thing."
He forced himself to his feet and reached out a hand hauling her up. She spun around, pulling her hair out of the way so he could make out how the dress closures worked.
"Okay, okay, I see now," he said, reaching for the lacings, but they were tied tight in a knot he couldn't get his half numb fumbling fingers around. He gave up and reached for the hook at the top hoping that would work. He was able to get it only by pulling so tight that Rene gasped. Next were the buttons, tiny things through fabric loops that his fingers just slid over. "Frak. I think I need some help here."
"I can't reach. You're going to have to…"
He ripped at the cord, breaking it where the knot held the strands together.
"Starbuck!" She spun looking at him in shock. "Thousands. Did I mention thousands of cubits?"
"I am not getting someone to help me get my own wife out of her wedding dress," he grumbled. "Now turn around." He spun her and reached for both sides of her dress, pulling hard in a swift movement as buttons sprayed him. "There," he proclaimed before reaching for his own tunic, not bothering to remove the medals or the cape, just yanking at the fastening at the neck and dragging the whole mess over his head as Rene slithered out of the confines of the dress. He reached out a hand to the marks the dress had left on her skin.
"They had it laced up too tight," he admonished.
"I'm a little bigger than when I first picked it up," she explained. "You're answering to Vanna about this."
"We can space the dress. You're never wearing it again, and Kalea, or Leia or Lara won't need a sealing dress. I'll have murdered all the boys interested in them." He sat down on the bed to undo his boots, watching as Rene shimmied out of her undergarments. She kicked at the mess of clothing before turning back to him, her skin glowing in the soft light of the suite. He reached out for her, his hands on her hips as he pulled her close, kissing her belly that was beginning to grow.
"I love you too," he said to the child within, "but close your eyes. You aren't going to want to see what I do to your mama."
"Ugh, don't call me that. You're killing the mood."
"Call you what? You are a mama, one hot mama." He kissed her belly again.
Rene laughed and shook her head. He thrilled at the sound wrapping his arms around her. He pulled her with him as he crawled his way back up the bed.
"Handsome, you still have pants on, and socks," she teased and he let go of her long enough to shed them, tossing the socks dramatically from the bed and letting them land where they may before wriggling out of his pants, kicking them off the bed.
"Now that's more like it," she purred.
"Yes, it is," he said pulling her to him, rolling over so she was beneath him. "And we have nothing but time to enjoy it. You earned this."
She laughed. "And what did I do to earn this treasure? Get us almost killed and a cylon torture session for good measure?"
The image of Rene struggling in the centurion's grasp slammed into him, knocking the air from his lungs as something crawled up his throat. He swallowed it down as the hard shiver shuddered up his spine. "Don't!" He growled around the cold lump of fear in his chest.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. A dark cloud rose up in her eyes and he felt the sharp pang of regret jab hard as he tried to catch his breath. He closed his eyes but that was no better as the image remained of her small body struggling against the shiny metal dragging her and strapping her down.
He jerked, opening his eyes at the soft touch on his cheek.
"Starbuck?"
"I don't want to talk about Caprica, not here, not ever."
The darkness in her eyes deepened as a wave of sorrow rose in them.
He shook his head, his own regret rising up. "I…I couldn't save you then and it kills me to think about it. I didn't care what they did to me. If you had…I don't know what I would do."
She tried to say something, probably to reassure him, but he didn't want to hear her words. They didn't help. He leaned down and cut off the words with a hard kiss, driving the fear from him, replacing it with the reality of her presence. They had lived, and they were here, in this moment together. This was real, he thought as her lips drove any thoughts from his head.
She dove into the wave of passion with him, one hand gripping his arm as another went around his neck pulling him into her. He let the ardor take over, the same wild impulse that once had him almost taking her on a beach in the middle of an operation to get water, or in the dome when afforded a centaur or two before a mission. He tried to focus on those memories, forcing out the others of her limp form at the bottom of a cliff, covered in dirt and rocks, her breath not moving her chest.
She was breathing hard now, and he trailed his lips down to her neck to feel her pulse pounding, music to his ears. The only fight now was the one he was having over whether to leave his lips on her neck feeling her pulse or to go back to her sweet lips. Her own lips pressed to his cheek, her breath in his ear resolved his dilemma as he settled into the familiar patterns of pleasure. He nuzzled into the hollow of her neck as his hands tried to touch all of her. His body took over and he was surprised to find himself inside her, gasping in unison with her at the sensation.
He let his instincts take the lead and he followed willingly, groaning as he threw his head back, engrossed in the feelings of pleasure that coursed through him. Her kisses on his neck seared away any visions he might have, replacing them with the haze of their combined heat. Her hands felt like the sparks from the wildfire they had run through to find safety. He gave in to that fire, letting it consume him as he moved within her
He didn't know how long he'd been lost when Rene's cries of passion brought him back to the present joining her cries with those of his own before he collapsed into her arms. He was suddenly bone weary tired. He softly kissed her neck, tamping down the flames of passion as Rene caught her breath. She still held on tight and he liked the feeling of her there, a part of him. He found himself murmuring, "I love you," over and over as his eyes closed, too heavy to stay open. He felt her shift beneath him, and tried to open his eyes to see what might be the problem, but then he felt the covers shift as she tried to toss them over his shoulders. He reached for them absently, rolling to wrap the two of them up together against the cold of the world before he gave in to his body's desires once again.
He didn't know how long he had slept when he woke, insanely thirsty. Rene was still in his arms, nestled into his chest like she had been made to be there. Had he been missing a part of himself for yahrens and just didn't know it? Well he had her now. He held her there for a few more moments until the thirst demanded he find something to drink or he might die. "Not a bad way to go, but today I have something to live for," he mused as he tried to gently extricate himself from the covers so he wouldn't wake his wife. They were both so wrapped up it was nearly impossible and he had to roll away from Rene, but she just sighed and nestled in deeper not waking.
He tripped over the sealing dress as he headed for the turbo, his feet slipping on the small buttons on the floor as he chuckled at the ruin of it. "Can't wait for Vanna to see." He imagined just leaving the dress here for the cleaning staff to find instead of the IFB. "Would serve her right."
He took care of his body's insistent needs in the turbo before wrapping the robe around himself. He still wore his chrono, and he checked the time seeing that it was fairly late in the morning. They had slept long and hard, which would explain why his stomach was now grumbling. He walked softly to the main room of the suite, searching for a communicator to order up some food. He admired the rooms again as he searched. Rene had really won the pot on this one. Well worth the trade of having to put up with the IFB and the fleet to get a few days alone in the lap of luxury.
He found the communicator console near the door and ordered up a large breakfast, with a whole pot of java and asked if they could send up some painkillers as well. He considered the opulent sofas and waiting here for the food to arrive, but as luxurious as they looked, he would rather enjoy the warmth of the large bed and the wonders it held. He kept the robe on as he tried to slip back under the covers, pulling Rene to him. She was warm and compliant in her slumber and he breathed in the lovely scent of her as he trailed soft fingers up her arm, tracing the names she had inked on her arm.
His fingers found the small indentation of where the Cylon port had been. The doc said it would fill in and fade in time but it had cut out a portion of the name of her older brother, eliminating the N and the I of Daniel, sown together now as Dael. His own scar itched as if in sympathy with hers. It was one of the few times that he'd been able to go first, to pave the way and help make things easier for her. They had done a better job removing Rene's implants, learning from the mistakes they made with him. The doctors hadn't admitted that outright, Paye being just as cryptic as Salik, but Cassie had shared the truth, knowing Starbuck well enough that he would rather face the odds than be deceived.
"The sensation may never come back fully in your hands. It damaged your nerves and sometimes they regenerate with the treatments and sometimes they don't."
The numbness and tingling left him a little clumsy, but he figured that just took his excellent coordination down to average. It was a trade he didn't regret if it meant that Rene was alive and doing better than himself. He didn't notice it much anymore, until moments like this when he wanted to feel something delicate like Rene's skin.
While he waited for breakfast, he traced the names on her arm, realizing he knew about most of the stories of how they had died and what they had meant to Rene. He lingered for a moment on the name of Rene's old beau. It was inked in red that unlike the others had not faded. She must have etched the name more than a few times to make it as bright and bold as it was.
He wondered briefly if Rene had fit into the man's arms as nicely as she fit in his? The thought made him realize he didn't know what the man had looked like. He could picture all the others, even though he'd only seen holos of a few, and met only one of them. But Kenan was a mystery. Was he tall and dark like Nik, or short and fair like Jake? What world did he come from? Rene had spoken little of him and Starbuck hadn't wanted to ask. He was jealous of the man. He wanted to be sorry the guy was dead, but he wasn't. Kenan's death led to Rene being with Starbuck. "Sorry mate, but the girl's mine now," he thought, but added to assuage his guilt, "I'll take good care of her for you."
He forced his fingers away from the name to the bare patches of skin. Where would his name go when he didn't return from a patrol or another suicidal mission he and Apollo dreamed up to save the fleet? It was a morbid thought, but also a possible reality. In a weird way, he hoped that's how he would go, saving the fleet and his family. He wanted Rene to outlive him because at this moment, he couldn't imagine his life without her. If she went first, he would be the one coming up with a suicidal mission, and he always succeeded in his objectives.
It made him pause and consider Apollo and those horrible sectons after Serina's death. Boxey was the only thing that could bring any life to his friend's eyes and stir him out of his solitude of mourning. When he did come back to life a little, Apollo wasn't the same as before. He took the most dangerous missions and shouldered all the risk. Starbuck had been shocked when Cassie shouted at him before they snuck onto the base star, "Why does it always have to be you?" He had thought she understood. It had to be him or else Apollo wouldn't return. Starbuck represented the fate Apollo would be assigning to Boxey without his father, just another orphan in the system that might turn out just as reprehensible as Starbuck. He had to be there to help Apollo remember that fact and make sure he returned.
If Rene went first, would Rene's kids be enough to make Starbuck want to come back? He doubted that they would be. Each kid had multiple guardians assigned to prevent them having to be sent over to the Orphan ship. They didn't need him like Boxey had needed Apollo. Plus, Starbuck wasn't sure he could be around Rene's kids without looking them in the eye. It was hard even now sometimes to look at Kiff, his features so like their old sadistic commander, but with eyes identical to Rene's. Without her, Starbuck wouldn't be able to do it. No, he had to go first or else join her shortly after on that voyage into the unknown.
He stepped away from that thought, focusing instead on choosing where he would like his name to go. Near her wrist for all to see next to Ari's name or on the soft skin inside her upper arm so he would rest next to her heart? He traced his name on both places, trying it on for size. Next to Ari seemed logical as he had been there when he died. It was his fault actually. But Rene shivered next to him when he tickled the sensitive skin inside her arm, and she moved away a little. "So right there then," he thought smiling, imagining him tickling her even after he was gone. He swept his fingers over the spot again, and in her sleep, she sighed in irritation.
The chiming of the door brought her all the way awake as she looked around in confusion.
"Shhh," he soothed her. "It's just breakfast. I'll go get it. You stay here."
She mumbled agreement, running a hand over her face.
The old man nearly leered at him as he wheeled the cart in. Starbuck recognized him as the host for the Astral Lounge.
"I hope your night went well," the older man said and held out his hand for a tip, before eyeing the robe and dropping his hand for the data pad. "If you could just sign here."
"The IFB is paying for this," Starbuck said not taking the pad.
"So, it seems," the man lingered for a moment before Starbuck nodded his head to the door.
"Honeymoon suite," Starbuck said in the way of explanation.
"Yes, right. We don't have many of those anymore, not like before. If you'll excuse me."
Starbuck waited until the man was out the door before he removed the covers to keep the food warm. He was getting used to the good life, courtesy of Rene's shopping excursions and the Copper Squadron's hydroponics endeavors, but this was an unexpected treat. Fresh ovums, fried over easy, with a bovine steak on the side seared to perfection. Various jams and something that looked like honey for the toast, and the best part, waffles. He remembered back to Peryton's mountain home and the only time on Caprica that Jake came close to cracking a smile, when he found the makings for them. "The best days start with waffles."
"Yes they do little brother," he said to himself as he wheeled the cart into the bedroom. Rene was still curled up in bed, trying to hang on to sleep. He sighed in contentment. When he had first met her, she ate little, slept even less, and the only thing she did in abundance was drink, swear and issue surly "yes sirs". He'd vowed to change all that. Mission accomplished. She kept mostly regular hours including a decent amount of sleep, ate almost as much as she should, and only swore occasionally and when needed, like now, as she grumbled at being woken when he fluffed up a pillow and then placed a plate upon the bed.
"Frak, what time is it? What are you doing?" she mumbled sleepily.
"I've only done this once before and I really liked it. I intend to do this for the three days we are here."
"Do what?" she cracked her eyes open, and her nose followed the smell of food.
"Breakfast in bed, courtesy of the IFB." He placed another plate on the bed, handing her a fork as she tried to pull herself to a sitting position in her tangle of covers and curls. She brushed back at her hair absently as she took the fork, diving in before he was back under the covers.
"Java?" she mumbled around a mouthful of toast.
"A whole pot." He went to get up to bring her some, but she waved him down and slid out of her tangle of sheets to find the pot. He enjoyed the sight of watching her stand there nude pouring two cups.
"I have a plan for the next three days," he said, "and it entails not wearing any clothes."
"Oh really," she smiled at him dreamily as she handed him his own mug of java.
"Really." He smiled in satisfaction. "Did you have other arrangements made? You had better cancel your plans. You are all mine."
"I don't think we can sit at the chancery tables naked," she said as she slid gingerly back under the covers trying not to spill her Java.
"I thought we could gamble another time." He took a sip of the fresh brewed java, letting it warm him up.
He looked to see Rene staring at him.
"What?"
"Who are you and what did you do with my husband the infamous Starbuck, King of the Chancery and Wearer of Gold Clusters?"
"He has the only prize he needs right here." He held up his mug to her before taking another drink. Yes, he could get used to living the good life.