Chapter 4: A Planet's Life

It was early morning still when Laura managed to drag herself out of bed and dress. She smiled to herself as she brushed out her hair in front of a small wall mirror she'd nabbed from Colonial One after loosing the election. She hadn't been about to let Baltar's vanity have any help.

She snorted loudly, then gasped and turned to see if her husband had stirred. Lucky for her, Bill apparently slept like a rock, and didn't even flinch. Laura smiled at him, his deep snores indicating just how late they were awake. A gentle blush rose up her neck at the thought.

Grabbing her basket, and pulling her mind out of her very nice gutter, she left a note for Bill on the dresser and turned up the tent flap into the cool morning air. Immediately, the sounds of the market crashed over her, so she dropped the flap secure and moved out down the road, her red skirt swishing about her ankles.

It was the first market after their wedding, so people were still beaming at her and each other like loons. Their marriage seemed to have breathed life into the community. Laura had to smile.

"Good morning, Mrs. Adama!" A woman called, one Laura vaguely remember as being a member of the press corp. She waved back with a smile and turned into the square with a full heart.

Mrs. Adama. A title she could still barely believe was attached to her. She could be told that up was down and have it sink in faster. But there was nothing sweeter than to hear those words.

"Morning, mom." Scratch that, nothing was better than the miracle of one single word.

"Lee." She said warmly, turning to hug her stepson as he and her daughter-in-law came around a corner," I'm so glad you came down!"

"Me too. Market looks almost like...fun." He replied, looking with interest at some of the native fruits that had been approved by the horticultural team.

"Liar. Men.." Dee said, shrugging," still have that aversion to shopping." Her husband scowled at her, but the two women only laugh louder together.

"Where is dad?"

"Asleep. About time he slept in." She said, hoping Lee didn't catch the sly look his wife was sending her.

But Lee, sweet, oblivious Lee didn't seem to see anything beyond her surface meaning and smiled at her. He really reminded her of Billy sometimes.

"I'll see you both later then?" Lee asked.

"How does dinner sound?"

"Great. See you." Lee replied, looking down at her with a strange sort of indecision. It was strange on his face, one she'd never seen before. After a long moment, however, the expression cleared and Lee leaned forward to place a polite kiss on her cheek. Blushing, he nodded his goodbye and steered a cooing Dee down a side street towards a cloth-seller's booth.

Laura was struck dumb for a moment by the unexpectedly sweet goodbye. She'd been given similar goodbyes before from much younger youth during her years as a teacher, but there were no words for the joy that small bit of acceptance brought her.

Looking around at the various booths, she managed to trade a few of her well-made cigars for some fruits and, in a moment of girlishness, a top she knew Bill would love to see her in. She held it up to herself, amazed at the soft feel of the pale pink cloth. She complimented the old woman who had made it. The poor lady was immediately beside herself, flattered beyond belief that the "true President" would like her wares so much.

"He'll be speechless if you wear that." Said a voice over her shoulder, and Laura turned with an embarrassed grin to see Kara and Sam behind her.

"Good morning, Kara, Sam. Suppose I'm feeling a bit girly today." She said, handing over a bangle she'd left in her purse the day of the attacks and receiving the top and some coins to make up the cost difference.

"Wish this one would," Said Sam, nudging his wife with an elbow," I understand she still has this turquoise dress that is supposed to be a knockout."

Kara blushed scarlet, "Who told you abou—damnit Leland!!"

Laura and Sam laughed at the mortified look on Kara's face, Laura recalling the dress in question.

"I thought it was lovely." She said," Maybe we can have a party next year for an anniversary. Well, two anniversaries. I think I can find something to wear by then."

"I don't know. Starbuck in a dress? Nearly gave me a heart attack the first time. Wouldn't want to be widowed that way, would you?"

"Bill!" She turned again and embraced her husband, who let out a deep chuckle.

"Oi, like you noticed!" Kara teased," you were too busy checking out a certain president's legs at the time." She pulled Bill into a hug and both laughed.

"We better get going. I gotta find out how to make something of this stuff," Kara said, pulling up her own bag and jiggling the new foods New Caprica provided. She and Sam said their goodbyes and then walked off into the milling crowds towards their tent.

When they were out of sight, Laura pulled Bill's head down to hers and kissed him, reveling in the freedom to kiss him senseless in front of the entire human race. Distracted as she was, Laura was certain someone gave an appreciative whistle in the crowd. When she pulled away, he was already laughing in the deep baritone she loved so much.

"What was that for?" He asked, eyes sparkling like they so rarely had before settlement.

"Because I can. Because no one has the right to tell me not to." She said softly, leaning up against him as they began to walk back home.

"A good reason."

"Mnnn," she said, eyes twinkling with a memory," It is good."

Bill smiled, the wide and easy grin that had become so normal on his face over the last few days, and pulled her closer to his side. The warm sunlight bore down on them, tempered by a cool breeze blown across the flatlands from the outlying mountains. Laura took a deep breath, cuddling as close to his side as she could as they walked back to their newly-raised tent.

"You're thinking too deeply."

She laughed, "Maybe."

"Anything I should know?" He asked, pulling up the tent flap for her to walk through.

"Its just...this life," She said, setting down her basket and hurriedly hiding the top from him," It's....something I never though I'd have, even before the cancer. I suppose I simply...." She let out a breath that sounded a bit like a whistle, "there are no words for how perfect this is."

"Even with the tent? And a nutjob for a President?"

"And an Admiral for a husband."

He grinned," Ah. And you, miss politician, can't accept the facts on the ground? I'm shocked!"

Putting down the last of the odd fruits, she swatted at his arm playfully, "funny, Admiral Atheist."

She laughed as he pretended to be mortally wounded, dropping down onto the bed theatrically. He made a face at her.

"Well," He said, as she turned around to close the door of the small cabinet that served as a pantry," can't really blame you," She felt him come up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling her neck," nothing in the scrolls about the heroine having a flyboy on the side."

Laura let out a laugh, which turned into a pleased hum as he kissed the side of her neck. She wanted to scold him for his rudeness to the Gods that surely saved the two of them for each other, but she couldn't find the ability to speak, the very scent of whatever cologne he'd managed to procure and Bill that most of her higher functions had simply stopped. She turned in his arms to kiss him deeply. They didn't need to make dinner for a couple of hours, anyway.

Outside, a planet went about it's day. Life willed itself to go on.