The alarm sounds at 6 am but Laura's already awake. For the past ten minutes she's been splashing cold water on her face, trying to shake the jitters from a horrible nightmare that not only woke her up, but Bill and Emilee, too. While Bill holds his daughter and tries to soothe her cries, Laura stares angrily at herself in the mirror. The last time she had nightmares like this was on her honeymoon and for the first few weeks after they returned.
"Maybe it has something to do with traveling," Bill suggests.
"Then why didn't I have one the first night here?" she asks. "I really hate these dreams, Bill. That strange little girl – she always leads me to your dead body. And this time she said 'Save her' instead of 'Protect her'. Who the frak am I supposed to be protecting and saving? And then that idiot Zeus tells me 'It is your destiny'. No kidding, frakwad, you've said that before. I wish he'd tell me what this all means."
"Did you actually just call Zeus a frakwad?" Bill asks, stepping into the bathroom holding their daughter, whose face is bright red but whose tears have now subsided.
"Yes, I did. And if he ever physically appears in one of my dreams again, I will wrap my fingers around his neck and choke him until he tells me what's going on," she huffs.
Emilee's tears start again when she hears her mother threaten to harm Zeus. "There, there, don't worry, Em. Mommy isn't going to kill anyone. She just gets cranky when she has a bad dream."
"Oh, I'm sorry, precious," Laura says, taking Emilee from Bill. "I must be scaring you. It'll be okay. Bill, if you'd like to shower, I'll nurse her. It'll probably help calm both of us down."
"Alright," he sighs, still concerned about how much the dream upset her. "Laura," he says cupping her cheek, "I'll help you figure this out. And for the record, you're pretty hot when you threaten one of the Lords of Kobol."
The step creaks loudly, causing Dave to stop and wait, looking for one of his daughters to walk out of their bedroom. After a few seconds, he hears Cheryl snoring. Everything is quiet and dark in Sandra's room, so he continues down the steps with Jen's overnight bag in one hand, and her hand in the other. He leads her through the kitchen and into the garage, then out the side door, walking her to her pickup still parked in the street.
"I feel like a teenager sneaking around like this," she says.
"You'll fit right in with my girls. Both Laurie and Sandra have snuck out of their windows to see boys. If it wasn't a fire hazard, I'd nail Cheryl's window shut right now."
"You working from home today?" she asks.
"Most of the day. I have a meeting this afternoon on campus that I can't miss, but I'll be home the rest of the time. I'm hoping Laurie and Bill can come over while I'm gone."
"I can be here for the girls, and for you when you get back."
"Don't you have to work?"
"KC has it covered. I'll go in tomorrow - Saturday lunches are always busy. And if you'd like, I could repack my overnight bag and stay again."
"If I'd like?" he laughs, pulling her to him. "You know the answer to that."
"I don't want to presume anything," she replies, stroking his chest with her palms.
"Then let me be clear," he says, giving her a kiss. "You are welcome here any time, any night, all night, whenever you want to be here. But if you have work, other things going on, or want some time to yourself, I don't want you to feel like you have to be here."
"The same is true for you. When Sandra's back on her feet and you're comfortable leaving her alone with Cheryl, you are welcome to spend the night at my house. As for now, how would you feel if I left some things here, like a toothbrush, change of clothes, things like that?"
"I'll clear some space for you in my closet and bathroom."
Her dream is dominating her thoughts. There were hallways that were cold, metal, empty, sterile. They all looked alike, yet they weren't the same. The girl's laughter bounced off the walls in eerie echoes, and Laura would barely get a glimpse of her before she'd turn and run down a different hallway. She can't shake the foreboding feeling she had from her nightmare, even now that she's sitting in the military transport next to Bill, waiting for it to be cleared for take-off.
"Still thinking about it?" he asks.
"Sorry," she groans. "I don't know where I was. I didn't recognize the place in my dream. It wasn't a house or a building or a transport."
"Can you describe it to me?"
"All metal, clean, but dark. Uncomfortable. Kind of claustrophobic."
"Were there any doors?"
"I don't remember. It was almost like a maze. A maze of cold metal until I got to the glass wall. You were on the other side in your uniform. But…" Her mind drifts to a detail that seemed unusual.
"What?"
"I think your rank insignia was different."
"What did it look like?"
"Well, it might be easier if I just look around," she says, handing Emilee to Bill, then standing from her seat and looking through the crowded transport.
"Ma'am, you need to take your seat. We're almost ready to take off," a flight attendant informs her.
"Sorry," Laura replies, sitting back down. "Bill, there's a man a few rows back with red hair, around 50 years old. His insignia looks like the one in my dream."
"You mean Commander Rathman?"
"You know him?"
"I know of him. He's the Commander of the Valkyrie. So I was a Commander in your dream?"
"I guess so."
"Huh. From what you've told me, it sounds like I was standing in the CIC of a battlestar."
"What's a CIC?"
"Combat Information Center. That's where I'd be if I was Commander. Laura, I don't want to downplay your dream, but maybe our fight about a possible reassignment stirred some things up, and this was your brain working through it while you slept. Being a Commander would mean I'd never see you or Em. And if I died, that would be permanent."
She sighs, considering everything he said, convincing herself that there's a simple explanation. "You're right. I was upset with you yesterday, we talked through it, had mind-blowing make-up sex, and then my brain decided to be a jerk while I was sleeping. I'm over it. I won't let my overactive imagination get the best of me. But I think to be sure, we need to have mind-blowing sex again when we get home."
"Yes ma'am."
After Dave offers to share his closet and bathroom space with Jen, he also offers her a key. This leads to more kissing, then some flirting, more kissing, flirting, and before they know it, the sun is beginning to rise.
"I like losing time with you," she says, nuzzling his cheek.
"It's easy to do that with you and as much as I hate to leave, I should probably get back in the house in case one of the girls wakes up. Cheryl's always a bear until she's had breakfast."
"Okay, text me later when you want me to come over. I'll be doing things around the house today. Love you."
A few minutes later, he returns to the garage, locking the door behind him. When he steps into the kitchen, he startles Sandra.
"Gods! You about gave me a heart attack!" she complains.
"Consider it payback for your pregnancy joke."
"You already got me back for that, remember? Jeff is not my baby daddy. Although, technically, he was in my bed last night."
"Don't remind me. Cheryl gave me another heart attack when she told me you were in bed together."
"Right, like I would even be able to do anything like that after surgery. All that pressure on my abdomen, plus the thrusting, enduring all that while I'm lying there with my legs in the air waiting for him to finish – I'm sure the doctor would never approve."
That's the bad thing about general anesthesia. Sometimes it takes a while before your brain gets on the same page with your mouth after surgery, and you wind up saying things you never should have said. Especially things about sex in front of a parent - things that might indicate that you aren't as innocent as you should be.
It's hard for her to read everything in his expression as his mouth hangs open, his eyes wide as he stares at her. Shock is a good one to start with, then disappointment, probably anger, too, and sadness.
"I'm going back to bed now," she says, turning toward her bedroom and scurrying away.
While he suspected a long time ago that she'd been sexually active already, he had lulled himself into thinking she was still his little girl. It's been months since she's dated anyone, and she rarely talks about boys these days, except for the occasional remark about her crush Rebound. He feels stupid for convincing himself there was nothing to worry about, and guilty for not addressing this with her sooner. What's done is done, there's no going back. Anger won't accomplish anything, neither will disappointment. He remembers the horrible, sinking feeling he had when Laura was 13 and snuck back through her bedroom window with condoms in her pocket. That was a long time ago, and he won't make the same mistake with Sandra.
He readies the coffee maker and starts it, then walks to her room, knocks at the door, and sits on the edge of her bed as she pulls the covers up over her face.
"I can't look at you because I know how disappointed you are in me," she mumbles from beneath the covers. "I'm sorry. Please yell at me so I can get this over with."
"Honey, I'm not going to yell at you." He tugs at the covers until she lets go of them, revealing her tear-stained face. "The coffee maker's going, and I'll fix you something for breakfast. Let's talk. I apologize for not being there for you then, but I'm here now."
Over the next hour, Sandra tells him about her boyfriend Brent and how they only slept together a few times after her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Dave listens quietly while sipping on his coffee, only speaking to encourage her to tell him more. She admits it was a lousy experience each time and that she felt used, regretting that she acted out in such a way. Next comes the story of Theo, including how he snuck in her bedroom one night when he was drunk. Dave interrupts her, calmly letting her know that he doesn't want her sneaking boys into her room at night. She agrees that it will never happen again.
After hesitating and nervously nibbling on her lip, Dave asks her to continue.
"I don't know, daddy," she says quietly, fidgeting with her hands and looking away from him. "This next part is really bad, and you've gone this long without knowing it, so maybe it's best if we leave it at that."
He watches her fumble around, displaying every nervous habit she's ever had. Part of him agrees with her, if it's this bad, then maybe he's better off not knowing. But the rest of him senses he needs to know and if Sandra can open up to him, that burden won't be as heavy for her going forward. "Honey," he says reaching for her hand, "it's okay. You can tell me."
"I swear I didn't know he did this, daddy. I swear." A single tear rolls down her cheek, the first of many. "The night Theo spent in my room, he…took a picture of me."
"What kind of picture?"
Her free hand immediately moves to cover her eyes which are now gushing tears. "I'm sorry, I didn't know he would do something like that."
"What kind of picture, Sandra?"
"I was…doing something to him, and he took a picture. You couldn't really see my face clearly, but everyone knew it was me."
Learning about a drunk boy in her bedroom at night is bad enough. A drunk boy in her bedroom at night taking pictures of her doing something he doesn't even want to think about is almost more than he can bear. But the dagger that has pierced his gut is that other people have seen this picture. "Everyone knew it was you? What do you mean by that?"
"He sent it to everyone at school and told them I was lousy in bed. That's why I was so upset when I got my phone back from you, and why I never wanted to go back to school. I was so embarrassed. I was getting all kinds of mean texts and some of them told me I should kill myself. I know you're mad at me. I'm so sorry."
The anger he feels is indescribable, but it's not directed at his daughter. He makes a note that if he ever encounters Theo in a dark parking lot some night, he'll kick his ass into tomorrow. "Sandra, I'm not mad at you. You're a victim. Theo committed a crime."
"That's what Laurie said. She knows about all of this - I even showed her the picture. That's why she backed me in family therapy when I wanted to finish high school and start college. She wanted to call the police, but I didn't want you to find out because I knew it would destroy you. I couldn't disappoint you again. And I didn't wanna talk about it in public. I just wanted to move on with my life. That's what I've done. I've moved past it, and I'm relieved that I've finally told you everything."
Dave nods his head as he considers his words carefully. "Sandra, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry you were victimized like that, I'm sorry I wasn't there for you when your mother was sick, and I'm sorry that you've never felt comfortable enough to confide in me. I let you down in the past, but I hope from this point on, we can be closer."
"What? No, dad, you haven't let me down! It's hard to talk about stuff like this. I haven't exactly been a saint, you know? But I'm trying to be better. I haven't had a drink or any drugs, and I didn't even sleep with Craig, thank the Gods on that one. Willow and Jeff are my two best friends, and they are good, decent people. School's my priority, and my family. I know I've been a giant pain in your ass, but I love you."
"I love you, too." They embrace for a long time, Sandra smiling over his shoulder at how relieved she feels to have gotten this off her chest. "Daddy, if I had told you this a year ago, I think you would have blown up at me."
"I might have. You're not the only one who's trying to be better."
"I'm starving! Can you make me some breakfast or should I have ice cream and cookies again?" Cheryl grouses from the end of the table, her hair sticking up in all directions and her lower lip out in a grumpy pout.
"Let me introduce you to your next pain in the ass," Sandra whispers in his ear.
"How about an omelet, Cheryl?" Dave asks as he moves toward the refrigerator.
"With lots of ham."
"With lots of ham, please," Sandra corrects her.
"With lots of ham, puh-lease," Cheryl says, crossing her arms and glaring at her.
"Do you want some coffee, Cher?" she asks.
"Gross."
Even though Emilee was a good traveler, both Laura and Bill are happy to return home. Bill offers to carry in the luggage and put things away, giving Laura the opportunity to nurse the baby and relax some more. She almost nodded off on the flight but suddenly snapped to attention when her brain placed her back inside a cold metal hallway. She's tired now, more than she cares to admit.
After starting some laundry, she and Bill prepare lunch while Emilee swats at a playmobile while lying on her back in a playpen.
"Look at that, Laura. She almost got the raptor," Bill says, watching a very determined Emilee squawk and jab at the object over her head again.
"She seems very focused," she replies as the little girl's eyes slowly follow the swinging object.
"Like her mother when something's on her mind."
"I can't hide anything from you, can I?"
"I can see when your brain's in overdrive. It's one of the sexiest things about you."
Knowing that her husband still finds her analytical nature a turn-on puts a smile on her face. "So, um, after lunch, when Emilee takes her nap, I'm hoping for that mind-blowing sex we talked about this morning. Unless you have something better to do."
"We could always delay lunch and have mind-blowing sex right now."
"Oh," she says with a look of disappointment. "I'm kind of hungry."
"Then we'll eat first. Dessert later."
As they dine together, Emilee continues to play, growing frustrated at her inability to capture the object above her head. Bill switches out the mobile for a rattle, which makes her fuss for a little while, until the sound of the rattle fascinates her.
"Bill, I was thinking. Maybe it's time we moved her crib back into the baby room. We only have to get up a few times in the night now, it'll give us more privacy, she can get used to the room, and if I have another nightmare, I'm less likely to wake her up. We can use the baby monitor from your parents."
Bill glances at Emilee with a sad look on his face. He'll miss having her in the room, but Laura makes some valid points. "I guess I have to let her grow up a little bit."
"I think it's time. Also, I really need you to frak my brains out after lunch, and she doesn't need to hear that."
"I'll move the crib and set up the monitor right now."
Laura finishes her meal, clears the table, and loads the dirty dishes in the dishwasher. Emilee has quieted down, the rattle hanging loosely out of her hand while her eyes begin to droop.
"You too tired to nurse? A little snack will help you sleep better, baby girl," she says, picking her up out of the playpen and holding her on her lap as she unhooks her nursing bra. "And your mommy would kinda like to drain these things before she has fun with daddy this afternoon," she says in a silly voice.
Emilee eagerly latches on, but after a few minutes, she's almost asleep.
"Okay, mommy can pump if you want to nap. I bet daddy has already moved your crib into your own room."
Several minutes later, Emilee is sound asleep in her crib, Bill has tested the monitor ensuring it works, and Laura has used her breast pump.
"It's almost like we need to create a schedule of when to have sex," she states, wondering if the romance has left them behind already.
"Nah, I don't think so. We just got busy this time because we decided to move her to the baby room. I'll move her changing table and dresser later. And the rocking chair. I should probably finish putting the duck décor up on the walls-"
"Bill. Shut up and take off your clothes."
Her eyes are already darkened with desire as he stares at her from across the room, determining the best way to satisfy her this afternoon. "Come here," he says, motioning for her to walk to his side of the bed. "Now."
It's like he flipped a switch inside of her. Every cell in her body aches for him and she wants him on her, inside of her, filling her everywhere possible. All those desires come true as she fully submits to him over the next hour, begging him for more until they're both spent, dozing off to sleep with her head pillowed on his chest.
Like many lazy summer afternoons, the sun shines brightly through the windows while the air conditioner whirs, pushing cool air through the vents. Birds sing outside, a slight breeze rustles the leaves on the trees, and a family of ducks swim across the lake outside their window, happily quacking as people throw bread crumbs near them. The clock in the living room ticks, the screen saver on Bill's desktop bounces a ball around the monitor, and the quiet hum of the dishwasher whispers down the hallway. The family of three naps peacefully, until Laura twitches her head.
Mid-afternoon, Sandra greets JJ at the door with a big hug. Cheryl's on her computer coding a new game with some daycare friends, Dave is upstairs in his office gathering up items for his meeting, and Sandra's on her way to her bedroom for a nap since she's still fatigued from the surgery.
"Do you need me to wake you at a certain time?" JJ asks her before Sandra slips into her room.
"Nope, just let me sleep. But keep an eye on Cheryl. I've been hearing a lot of maniacal laughter from her bedroom."
After Sandra shuts the door to her room, JJ pokes her head into Cheryl's room. Sitting in front of her computer with headphones on and three video chats on the monitor, she speaks in computer code, then busts out laughing with her friends, types a few lines, and laughs again. "When I was 4 I played in the dirt," JJ thinks to herself, wondering how different life must be for such a highly intelligent child.
With Sandra napping and Cheryl heavily distracted with her gaming, JJ decides it's the perfect opportunity to spend a few minutes alone with Dave. She's never been in his home office before and even though the door's shut, her curiosity gets the best of her. She knocks softly and announces herself, hoping she's not interrupting something important.
"Where are the girls?" he asks when he opens the door.
"Sandra's taking a nap and Cheryl's gaming with some friends online."
Reaching out, he grabs her hand and pulls her into the room, locking the door behind him. Before she can say anything, he scoops her into his arms and carries her to the sofa, gently places her on her back, and hovers over her kissing her thoroughly. This fun-loving side of him is a surprising treat that she cherishes. Always happy to see her, always wanting to touch her, always wanting to kiss her – the exact opposite of her ex-husband. So far the only difficult part of their relationship is toning it down in front of Cheryl and Sandra, since they've decided not to tell them yet.
"I have some news," he says between kisses. "Next month I've been invited to present at a symposium on Tauron. If you're free, would you like to accompany me? It runs over two days but I was thinking we could stay a few extra through the weekend and do some sightseeing, try out some authentic Tauron dining, whatever you want. The university picks up the tab for me and a guest, and my publisher has offered to pay for the weekend stay."
"A free vacation, just the two of us on Tauron? I'll make sure I'm available! There's a museum I've always wanted to visit there."
"Tauron Museum of Natural Wonders and History?"
"Yes, that's the one!"
"I went to grad school with the curator. We can probably get a behind the scenes tour and see artifacts that haven't gone on display to the public yet."
"And by then Sandra and Cheryl will know we're together, so we won't have to be sneaky about it."
"Does that bother you? We can tell them tonight if you'd like. Laurie, Bill, and Em will be here. We could make the announcement then."
It would make things easier for them. But she also knows he's right – Sandra and Cheryl likely won't leave them alone once they find out. "Can I think about it this afternoon and let you know when you get back? It would be less complicated if we told them, but I'm also enjoying our time together, just the two of us. I'm sort of torn."
"Take all the time you need. I have to go, but I'll be back in a few hours."
Two more kisses later, Dave and Jen emerge from his office with flushed faces. She walks with him out to the garage, then locks the door behind him. Cheryl is rooting through the refrigerator when she turns around.
"Need a snack, kiddo?"
"Yes, I'm always hungry. I think I'm growing."
JJ helps her make a sandwich, then sits with her at the table. "What game were you playing?"
"I wasn't really playing it. We were developing it and testing parts of it. It's fun. Have you ever done that?"
"No. I'm not very good at stuff like that. Maybe you can show me sometime."
"Hmm, maybe." Cheryl slowly munches on her sandwich, occasionally glancing at JJ like she wants to say something, but then decides against it.
"What is it, sweetheart? I can tell something's on your mind."
"I could use some milk."
"Alright, one glass of milk coming right up."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome," she says setting the glass in front of her. "Now why don't you tell me what's really on your mind?"
"How do you know there's something else on my mind?"
"Call it intuition," she replies with a wink.
"Do you think daddy would let me get highlights in my hair, too, so I can go with you and Sandra?"
"Ohhhh," JJ replies, realizing Cheryl is feeling left out. "I think you already have some nice highlights from being out in the sun so much," she says, brushing Cheryl's hair behind her ear. "But if you want, I could do some cute things with your hair this afternoon and you can tell me what you like. And if you still want to go with me and Sandra, you can have your nails done as long as your dad approves."
For the next 90 minutes, JJ tries different cute, age-appropriate hairstyles on Cheryl. First, she pulls her hair up into a high ponytail on top of her head. This is fun for Cheryl as she swings her head and ponytail, wildly while jamming to some music. "I'm like those girls in music videos!" she exclaims, causing JJ to rethink the hairdo.
Next, JJ swirls her hair around and creates a bun, but Cheryl feels like she looks like a grandma in a nursing home. She tries braiding it and then creating a bun and even though Cheryl likes it better, it's still not her favorite.
A long braid down her back earns a thumbs up from Cheryl, then JJ tries two long braids down the sides, which she likes even better. Next, she decides to braid the sides from the bottom up, using the ends at the top to create two large, voluminous buns on top of Cheryl's head.
"I love this! It looks like I have bear ears!" Cheryl giggles, running to her bed and jumping up and down. "I'm a bouncing bear!"
"Laura! Laura!" Bill shouts, lightly patting her cheeks with his fingers. "Wake up, Laura!"
Cold sweat pours down her face as she gasps for air, her eyes fluttering like she's in a daze. She's in a seated position but limp as Bill tries desperately to snap her out of her nightmare.
"Honey, wake up, please wake up," Bill begs, pulling her to him and stroking her hair. Emilee's cries are amplified by the baby monitor, the distressed infant screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Sweetie, please, wake up," Bill says again, cupping her face in his hands, trying to get her to open her eyes and focus on him. He places kisses on her lips, forehead, and cheeks, trying to get her to come back to him.
"So much…Bill…" she mumbles.
"Laura, wake up," he says firmly, stroking her cheeks with his thumbs. "Wake up," he commands.
Finally, her eyelids stop fluttering, and she stares blankly at him. "Are you real?"
"I'm real, feel me," he says, taking her palm and placing it on his chest. "I'm very real. We're at home. You had a bad dream."
"Baby's crying," she says, rolling her eyes in the back of her head.
"She's fine, she's in her crib. I need you to wake up and talk to me."
Opening her eyes again, she focuses on her hand on his chest. "There's blood on you," she remarks, frowning as she runs her index finger through it. Following a violent retch, she leans to the side and vomits on the floor.
He stands helpless, holding her hair out of her face.
"More," she gasps, leaping to her feet and running to the bathroom, emptying the rest of the contents of her stomach into the toilet. A few deep breaths help settle her enough to rinse her mouth with some water. "Bill, I'm okay now. Check on Emilee. Please."
He won't leave until he looks into her eyes making certain she's coherent. Satisfied with what he sees, he runs to the baby room, picks his daughter up, and tries to soothe her. "Daddy's here, you're safe, sweetheart." The deep tone of his voice calms her as she stares at him with watery eyes. "Let's go check on mommy."
Chores are always a good distraction, so after cleaning up the mess in the bedroom, Laura turns her attention to unloading the dishwasher while Bill holds Emilee nearby. She refuses to discuss her dream with him, wanting some time to process it before going into much detail. All he knows is it involved blood, lots of blood, and when she ran her finger through the blood on his chest, the smell of it turned her stomach.
His suggestion of postponing dinner with her family is met with an eye roll. "I'm not going to let this ruin my time with them," she explains. "I'm just so pissed off this happened again, and I'm upset that I scratched you so hard you bled. It'll do me some good to have some nice, relaxing family time."
"Have we had a lot of relaxing dinners with your family? I'm not trying to offend you," he quickly states when she shoots a glare at him, "but we've had some pretty stressful meals with them. Even more reason to put this off a night or two."
"No. We are going tonight, we are going to have a nice time, and nightmares and family shenanigans will have no place at the dinner table."
"Do you hear that, Emilee? That's the sound of your mommy being stubborn. Ouch!" he yelps when she smacks him in the arm. "And that's the sound of your mommy letting me know I'm out of line. Never get on her bad side. If you do, make it up to her right away." His lips brush against Laura's cheek, then he steps back from her with a wry grin.
"That's not going to work. I'm mad at you again," she says, crossing her arms with her nose in the air, staring at him with a hint of disdain in her eyes.
Prying one of her hands from her crossed arms, he places a kiss to her palm. Her face softens a bit, but she's still quite irritated with him. However, when his tongue flicks the underside of her wrist, the anger in her eyes turns to desire. "Be careful," she warns. "We might wind up back in that bedroom again."
"I don't see anything wrong with that, do you? In fact, I think Emilee would like to play in her crib while we…resolve our differences."
That's a new way of putting it, but one she likes. Resolving differences may as well be fun and satisfying. It might be worth picking small fights here and there just so they can resolve their differences more often. "You're insatiable today."
"I'm insatiable? Who kept begging for more after lunch? The only thing I'm doing is following your orders, Mrs. Roslin-Adama."
Two minutes later Emilee is happily squawking and swatting at her military playmobile in her crib, while Laura moans beneath Bill in the bedroom.
Late in the afternoon, Dave parks his car in the garage, enters the kitchen, and is immediately hugged by an overly excited Cheryl, who is thrilled with her new hairdo.
"Do you like it? Do you?" she asks, jumping up and down.
"Can you hold still long enough for me to look at it?" he asks, laughing at her enthusiasm. The only thing more adorable than her hairstyle is the jubilant expression on her face. After turning around on her tippy-toes so he can see the braids on the back of her head and appreciate the entire hairdo, he gives her his opinion. "I think you are the cutest 4-year-old I've ever seen!"
"Yes, she is, and I'm insanely jealous," Sandra says from the living room. "JJ did my hair like that, and I looked stupid. Apparently, you have to be a cute little girl to pull it off."
The doorbell rings and Cheryl goes bounding to the entryway, eager to see her oldest sister and her family, and show off her hairstyle. Bill carries in two pizza boxes, a tray of lasagna, and a paper bag with several dinner salads in separate containers. Cheryl takes the paper bag from him and skips to the kitchen table where she begins placing a salad by each plate.
Bill places the food in the center of the table, then reaches for Cheryl as she skips past him. "Whoa, wait a minute. Look at me, Lieutenant Cheryl. How in the all the colonies are you this cute?" he asks, bouncing his palms off each of her hair buns.
"I don't know, I just am!" she says, shrugging her shoulders.
"There's only one problem. How are you going to wear a viper helmet with these buns on your head?"
"Oh, that," she laughs, swatting her hand in the air like it's no big deal. "I won't wear my hair like this when I'm old enough to go to the academy. I don't want to look stupid like Sandra."
"Cheryl, that's not a very nice thing to say about your sister," Laura scolds.
"It's okay, Laurie. JJ fixed my hair like that and I looked extremely stupid. Can we eat now? I'm starved."
During dinner, Sandra tells the story of the night her appendix acted up, with Cheryl filling in some never-before-shared details such as Sandra walking to the bathroom completely hunched over, eating an entire roll of antacids because she thought it was just a stomach ache, trying so hard to fart to relieve some pressure that she thought she pooped her pants, and lying on the sofa most of the evening being stubborn, refusing to call their father because she didn't want to ruin his night at the faculty gala.
"I kept telling her to call daddy, but she wouldn't do it," Cheryl says in frustration.
"Sounds like stubbornness runs in your family," Bill chimes in, brushing Laura's knee under the table with his hand.
"Tell me about it," says Dave. "All three of them – the most stubborn women in all the colonies."
Laura clears her throat before she speaks, a tactic she learned while teaching kindergarteners to get their attention. "You know, Bill, daddy - there are more women at this table than men, so you may want to be careful what you say."
"I second that," JJ says, glancing at Dave out of the corner of her eye.
"We'll resolve our differences later, Laura," Bill replies, knowing the reaction he will get from her.
A microsecond – that's all it takes for the heated look she gives him over the top of her drinking glass to stoke that fire inside of him. Nobody else at the table notices their exchange. Cheryl and Sandra are helping themselves to more pizza, while Dave is busy bumping his knee into JJ's leg under the table.
Following dinner, they pass Emilee around, everyone getting the opportunity to hold her and fawn over her. JJ's reluctant to let her go, reminiscing about the days when she worked as a babysitter and nanny. Dave places his arm around her on the sofa as she cuddles the little girl, both gazing at her cherubic face like proud grandparents.
While Bill plays with Cheryl, giving her orders to sweep various rooms for enemy toasters, Sandra pulls Laura into her room for a private chat. "I wanted to let you know that daddy knows all about Brent, Theo, and the photo. We talked this morning."
"How'd that go?" Laura asks, stunned with this information.
"We have the best dad ever. He's so great, I feel like I don't deserve him."
"Yes, he is," Laura replies, hugging her sister, proud of her for having such a difficult conversation. "All of us are lucky to have him."