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Chapter 19: The Dark and the Dawn


Home.

Home, but as soon as the blackness of space took over their view, Laura knew something was wrong. Galactica was being battered by the Cylons, and Pegasus was nowhere in site.

"Colonial Transport. This is Col. Tigh. Jump coordinates to Pegasus coming through. Do you have the Adamas?" crackled Saul through the speakers. Laura felt her heart fly up in her throat, wanting to both cry and laugh at the voice of the cantankerous XO. She was actually happy to hear his voice, but glanced away from Bill's relieved face to look behind her, catching a hint of curly blond hair and sobering.

"Colonel, this is the Admiral. We're aboard. Saul, what the frak are you doing?!"

Silence.

"...Saving your asses. Go," Saul rasped back. Laura shivered. She knew that tone, had used it herself in commands and words of comfort just before almost dying. It was goodbye, and Bill knew it. He kept his face forward, but one of his hands entwined itself with hers. She squeezed back gently and lent towards the mic on the dashboard.

"Good hunting, Colonel."

"Thank you...," Saul's voice replied softly,"..Madam President."

An explosion ripped through the thin air of the outer atmosphere, jolting the raptor to one side, then the other. She heard Chief Tyrol grunt on impact and turned around just in time to see him give a weak thumbs up, one hand rubbing his skull.

"THE FRAK?!"

Laura turned back in her seat at the terror in Bill's voice. His hand was frozen over the jump prep relay, eyes focused on something in the deepening chasm out the canopy. Behind her, Chief and the ECO swore softly. When she followed Bill's vision, she couldn't help but let out a horrified scream. Pegasus had jumped into the fray, blocking the Galactica from the Cylon firing range. Lee, oh Gods, her stepson was on that ship. She felt the hand in hers tighten in fear.

"Lee?! Gods damnit, Commander Adama!" Bill shouted over the free channel.

"All vipers, head to Galatica. I repeat, all vipers to Galactica. Get the frak out of here!"

Bill readjusted their flight path towards Galactica almost immediately, pilot's skills overriding the fear Laura felt in her own heart. Kara was Gods knew where, possibly lost to them, and now...

"I hope he has a plan," whispered Tyrol.

She pretended she didn't hear it. Her eyes were only for Pegasus and Lee since Bill's could not be. Her mind could barely focus, so unreal was everything around her. Not more than twelve minutes ago she'd been sobbing into Tyrol's shirt thinking her husband was dead, then she found her former adversary-turned-friend was dead in his place, and now she was somehow rescued from certain death under Cylon hands but facing the death of her stepson and daughter-in-law. Dee would not leave her husband anymore than Laura had been willing to leave even what she thought was her husband's corpse.

"Lords of Kobol..," she said softly," grant me the miracle of your love and deliver my children home. If ever I've done right by you, please..."

Galactica swam into view, growing closer and closer. Bill got back on the horn to CIC and Saul, receiving instructions. They were going to "come in hot", which immediately sent a whole different ill feeling through Laura. Gods, she hated combat landings. Everyone but Kara and Lee always seemed to walk funny or look like they'd gone on a drinking binge after one, and she herself had had one such experience. She looked to Bill, seeking some sort of comfort, but all she saw was Husker in his place. The dedicated viper jock was completely in command, her husband and Admiral in whatever distant recess he'd sent the father in him.

"I've got the ball, Galactica. Coming in," he said, voice as controlled as it had ever been.

"Rodger, Husker, you're all clear."

She gripped the armrest as they bolted for Galactica, grimacing when they hit the deck. The sound of metal screeching nearly rendered her deaf, crying and groaning even with Bill at the controls. Finally they limped onto the raptor-sized elevator and were transported into the bright lights of the flight deck. Laura blinked, clearing her vision. For a moment all she could do was greedily take in every detail of her beloved home. But a sudden pulling sensation behind her navel told her they were jumping, and a fresh wave of anxiety over Lee and the Pegasus's return bubbled up in her as the feeling of being flushed down a pipe abated.

She scrambled out of her harness almost faster than Bill and hit the door release. She could hear the murmurings of other people outside go silent.

When the door opened, the first person she saw was Saul Tigh. He beamed at her and held out a hand. Around him, crew and civilians were realizing who was among them. They began to cheer wildly, people from every colony and walk of life suddenly dropping their pained expressions and screaming so loud that the sound seemed to vibrate through the floor. It went even wilder when Bill's form ambled down beside her.

"Bill, Laura," Tigh said, pulling them both into an embrace. Laura smiled into her friend's shoulder, but the sound of Tyrol clearing his throat sobered her quickly. She bumped Bill backwards to cover the hatch of the raptor and took the Colonel's hands.

"Saul....not everyone made it," she said softly, moving beside him to look up at the raptor. People around them seemed to catch her look, for a faint mummer of worry ran among the ever increasing crowd. Bill nodded down at them and, turning his back to them, accepted Ellen's body in his arms.

"She saved us all," her husband rumbled as he turned around with Ellen gently cradled in his arms. Saul's cry silenced the closest survivors and Laura had to quickly wrap her free arm around his waist to prevent him from sinking to the floor.

"Go find out about Lee, Bill. I'll take care of him."

Bill nodded. Both he and Tyrol hit the deck, laying Ellen down before her widower. Bill paused to lay a comforting hand on Saul's shoulders before being folded into the crowd.

"Ellen," Saul croaked out. Laura could only give him a half hug as he crumbled, laying his head sideways on her shoulders. He said nothing else for what felt like a half an hour before a med team arrived to carry Ellen's body to the morgue. Finally he straightened, ignoring the looks of pity coming from the still celebrating crew and Fleet.

"Thank you, Laura," he whispered, so lightly she wasn't entirely certain she'd heard it, and was gone.

Laura Adama stood on the deck of her beloved home, face pleasant as crew and civilian alike came to shake her hand, to hug her or even kiss her cheek. She accepted each any every expression of joy—they'd earned it on that mudball—but felt relief when she finally managed to get out of the hanger bay and into the empty hall. It was then that she began to cry.