Laura had just put the flowers into a vase when her telephone trilled to life again. This time it was Billy, and they spent the next half hour going over some concerns from the office.

She was jotting down dates of rescheduled meetings and appointments when the doorbell chimed announcing Bill's return.

She opened the door and stood aside to allow him to enter, while she continued talking to Billy. She was surprised, yet secretly delighted, when he lightly brushed his mouth across her cheek as he walked past her to the kitchen where he poured himself a coffee.

He leaned on the edge of her counter, watching her as she continued to talk. She glanced up at him every now and then, giving him small apologetic smiles. He never made any motion to hurry her along. Instead, he simply stood patiently, sipping at his drink, seemingly right at home in her kitchen.

Finally, she hung up the phone.

"Sorry," she said with a smile.

"Get everything sorted out?"

"Hopefully." She sniffed the air appreciatively, her stomach growling. "Your breakfast mission was a success, Commander?"

"Ready whenever you are, Madam Secretary."

She laughed and retrieved two plates for the pastries he had purchased, before leading him to the breakfast nook.

"I could get used to this," she told him.

"What's that?"

"You bringing me breakfast."

"Mmm." He leaned over and tucked a lock of her hair behind one ear. Her breath hitched slightly. "You're spoiled," he said, teasing her.

She didn't answer, and continued eating. His words made her realise that even before she had made questionable choices for lovers, she couldn't remember a single man other than her father who had spoiled her. When she was younger, no doubt a few of her boyfriends had loved her, but none of them had been the indulgent type. Maybe if she had stayed with them longer or met them when they were more mature, things might have been different.

The thought of Bill Adama spoiling her was an appealing one.

"What are you thinking?"

She didn't answer and instead changed the subject with a question of her own. "How'd you know where to find me?"

"I rang your office. Billy informed me you were in the hospital. Took me a couple of days to sort out Galactica and get here. When I found out you'd been released from the hospital, I dropped by your office."

"And they just casually gave you my home address?" she laughed. "I'm sorry, but I can't imagine Billy giving out that sort of personal information."

"Mmm," he responded noncommittally, obviously not willing to reveal his sources.

She met his eyes above her coffee cup. "You're lucky you won me over with the flowers and the food. I can hardly throw you out now."

"You can if you want to be alone. I'll understand."

She looked over at him. He was completely serious.

She frowned. "Aaron Doral never told you I was in the hospital when he arrived on Galactica for our meeting?"

"No. He just said you were too busy."

So much for waiting for Bill to ring her while she was in the hospital, she thought. What had he thought when she had not met him on the Galactica after their liaison on Picon? Had he thought she was sending him a clear message that she didn't want to get further involved? Did she want to get involved?

"What did you tell the Admiralty? I mean, why did you say you wanted the leave for?" she asked.

"I took Emergency Leave. You get three days a year – no questions asked."

"So, I have you for three days? Or were you planning on visiting your son?"

"I might give him a call. Maybe drop by for a bit if he's still in town. But, I would love to be yours for the three days. Run any errands you want. Hunt and gather food. Pick flowers. Anything. You could be my Commander-in-Chief for the next few days. Hopefully my services could lend themselves to your speedy recovery."

"I'd like that," she whispered. This was true. Getting further involved or not, the idea of his company over the next few days filled her with joyous expectation. It was a feeling she definitely wasn't accustomed to when it came to men.

He checked his watch. "I'd better go and make sure I can get a vacancy in a nearby motel before it's too late in the day. I noticed a couple on the highway before your turn off. Any recommendations?"

She stared at him. "I don't want you to stay in a motel," she said before she lost the courage.

He raised his eyes to contemplate hers for a long time, before removing his glasses, looking down and pinching the end of his nose.

"I don't want to push you," he said. "I've arrived out of the blue - unannounced. Forcing myself and my company upon you. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable with me staying here."

"There's one thing I've noticed, Commander." She paused and he gave her a hesitant enquiring look before she continued. "I have never felt uncomfortable in your presence. Angry, yes. Aroused, yes. But never uncomfortable. I like that about you," she said truthfully.

"It's a good thing," he rumbled quietly.

"It is," she agreed. "For example, I haven't showered yet today. I'm wearing this old ragged white robe without a scrap of makeup. And yet, I don't feel the need to jump up and hide my wrinkles or slip into some silk lingerie to impress you."

He leaned over and she found herself on the end of yet another of his sweet gentle kisses.

She was having trouble coping with the way he kept kissing her. It was so evocatively intimate, yet, he somehow made it seem casual.

Kissing during sex was one thing, but this absent-minded touching was something else altogether. He had gone to great lengths to visit her. Surely sex wasn't all he wanted. Was it?

"I love your wrinkles. They are proof that you've lived, loved and laughed. I won't say no to the lingerie, but I must admit I am finding this robe distractingly exciting."

"This thing?" she said in an unsteady voice.

"Yes, when you move gaps form and I catch small glimpses of your…"

She snorted and pulled the robe around her tighter. "I didn't realise."

He stood and helped her down from the stool.

"And it seems that you've come up with my first chore for the day."

"What's that?"

"You need a shower. Come on, I'll help you. Can you get it wet?"

"Yes. The doctor actually said irrigating it will be beneficial. He just said to make sure the water wasn't scalding hot or the pressure too hard."

"Nothing hot or hard then?"

"No," she sighed dramatically.

He chuckled and placed his hand beneath her arm to gently guide her as they made their way to the bathroom. At the entrance, she paused and turned back to him. "You'll stay? No motels?"

"If you're sure that's what you want."

Boldly she leaned in and kissed him slowly, softly. "Yes." She breathed the word into his mouth. "It's what I want."

His tongue tasted her bottom lip and flicked against hers enticingly. "Then I'll stay," he murmured.

0.0.0

Bill turned from getting the water the right temperature to find Laura had already removed her robe and was standing beside the shower naked. He couldn't resist - his eyes lingered over her beautiful pale curves. One day, he promised himself, when she was completely well, he would spend a few hours tracing his mouth and hands from one freckle to the next.

She was a lot frailer than she had let on earlier and leaned on him heavily as he helped her into the cubicle. She sighed and tilted her head back under the stream of water. He reached up to retrieve the shampoo bottle from the shelf above her head, squeezed a small amount into his palm, rubbed the slippery liquid into a slight lather and plunged his hands into her hair, massaging her scalp with his fingers.

She hummed with pleasure. After he had scrubbed her hair, he pushed her gently back into the flow of the water to rinse, then found a facecloth and wiped her eyes.

"You'll get your sleeves wet," she said. "Wouldn't it be easier if you just got in here with me?"

He arched an eyebrow.

"There's plenty of room."

He chuckled. She was such a flirt. He'd had a distinct lack of laughter in his life for far too long and it was quite a novelty to meet someone who could make him laugh.

"If you don't hurry up, we're going to run out of hot water. I know the Doctor said nothing too hot, but I don't think he meant completely cold."

He chuckled again and, as unabashedly as she had, stripped out of his clothes. She immediately snuggled back into his body when he joined her under the water. He picked up the soap and lathered it across the front of her body softly, eliciting a small hum of appreciation from her. He rubbed the washcloth and soap around each part of her that he could comfortably reach, and then he stood apart from her slightly to concentrate on her back.

He was stroking against her tailbone when he felt her shiver. He gently turned her around and his eyes automatically lingered on her breasts. He immediately noticed her nipples were sharp and pointed. He ignored the reaction in his groin and redirected his line of sight to her eyes, especially when she gave another shiver.

He twisted off the water, dried them both, hooked a towel around his waist and pulled the robe around her.

"Do you want to dry your hair?"

"No. It's okay."

"I think you should. You're shivering."

She pointed to the cabinet under the sink. He found a hair dryer but she shook her head when he went to plug it in.

"No. I need to sit down. There's an outlet near the bed. If it's all right, I'll sit on the edge of the bed and do it."

He stood next to her at the bedside, holding the dryer while she fluffed at her hair with her fingers.

As soon as it was dry, she lay down on the bed, pulled the covers over herself and closed her eyes. He reached down and pushed some stray locks back from her forehead.

"Do you want me to brush it? It won't get too tangled?"

"No," she murmured, not opening her eyes but her mouth curled into a smile. "That's okay."

His fingers traced along the wrinkles she had light-heartedly worried about earlier.

"I'm still cold." She opened her eyes and gave him a look so vulnerable that he nearly confessed his love for her right then and there. "Would you hold me for a while? To warm me up?"

"Give me a minute." He stood and moved back out to her kitchen, removed the phone from its hook, and returned to the bedroom.

He draped his towel over a chair that sat in the corner of the room, and crawled under the covers beside her. Their bodies moulded together as perfectly as they had the last time they had shared a bed.

He dropped another small kiss on her shoulder before closing his eyes and letting himself relax.

Sleep took them both.