--
"Where's your head Bill?"
"Huh?" Bill looked up at his friend, from where he sat under a tree. "Did you say something Saul?"
"Yeah I said something," Saul playfully kicked Bill's leg, keeping an eye on the festivities outside the bar as he did so. "I thought I'd be worrying about Ellen all night, and then you go all mindless on me. Now I'm not sure who I should be watching." He took a seat next to his friend and offered him a bottle of Ambrosia. With a sigh, Bill took the bottle but simply rested it next to him on the ground.
"I think I met a girl…" Bill muttered, staring up at the stars.
"You think?" Saul chuckled. "Either you met a girl or you didn't Bill, so which is it?"
"I met a girl," He thought about what he was saying for a long time, his mind filled with nothing but the Carnival girl he'd met only two days before. "I can't stop thinking about her."
"Bill's in looooove…" A rather drunk voice sang into the night. Neither of the young men had noticed her join them, and promptly Ellen collapsed into Saul's lap. "Our little Billy boy has a little crush." She giggled, her arms snaking around Saul's neck. They'd been at the bar for two hours and she was already smashed.
"I might go for a walk." Bill muttered, moving to stand up. He was stopped as Ellen grabbed his hand.
"Go for her Billy," She grinned, her eyes unfocused and it was hard to know if she knew what was coming out of her own mouth. "You deserve it." She giggled and snuggled into Saul's embrace.
"Go, I've got this sorted," Saul rolled his eyes. "But you owe me one. When you least expect it, you'll owe me one."
"I'll keep that in mind," Bill promised as he walked off, not sure where his feet were taking him as he trudged through the town.
--
"Peter what's with that girl that you keep talking to?" Laura asked quietly as they sat together in a tree high above her mother's tent.
"Nothing," Peter shrugged, as best he could without losing his balance. He'd always found it fascinating that Laura had an amazing sense of balance. Almost as if she was perfectly centred. He remembered nights with her sister, hearing nothing but annoyance in her voice when she would discuss their dance class. Laura would hardly focus when she danced and never get a move wrong. While Anne did all that she could and would always falter on the harder routines. "Why?" He asked slowly, picking bark off his jumper as he sat up.
"You can interfere in my love life, but I can't interfere in yours?"
"Law, you don't have a love life."
"My point," She let her arms fall off her stomach and hang gracefully in the air, as if she was actually lying dead on the branch. "You chased off the last three guys that showed even the slightest bit of interest in me, Peter, that's not fair. It's hard enough to get a guy during Carnival season, and now I have one who's showing genuine interest in me. I want this one." A smile played on her lips and she sighed happily.
"Laura…"
"I'm serious, I can't stop thinking about Bill and I didn't even see him today," Laura somehow managed to roll over so that she was lying on her stomach, and she rested her head on her arms. "What did it feel like when you fell in love with Annie?" Her gaze fell on the Ferris Wheel, still slowly spinning as the nights festivities wore on.
"You're too good at changing subjects…"
"Peter, please?" Laura pouted as she turned to look at him, sounding like a child asking for lollies. It had been months since she'd spoken about the accident, and for once she felt an overwhelming need to know more about her oldest sister.
"When I fell in love with Anne," He began slowly, a smile spreading across his lips. "It felt like nothing on earth could hold me down. I was floating throughout the galaxy. I was alive."
"You've never been in space, Peter. How would you know what it felt like to fly?"
"I haven't been in space," Peter admitted quietly. "But I flew off a building once."
"Really?"
"Yeah, they don't do it as much as they used to any more. But when you were a kid, they had these big things that you'd hold on to and then just dive off a building. You'd glide all the way to the bottom."
"Wow," Laura muttered in amazement, her gaze fell to the ground below her. For a moment she wished she had wings so she could just fly down. It would be like testing that what she was feeling was what Peter described to her. "I think I…" Something else caught her attention. The young man standing further down the path, eyeing the fortune teller's tent as if he wasn't sure whether he wanted to go in or not.
"Laura, did you fall asleep?" Peter asked cautiously, turning slightly to get a better look at her.
"I have to go," She muttered, and quicker than expected she was half way down the tree preparing to jump to the bottom. "I'll see you tomorrow Peter."
"Laura?" He shrugged casually as she looked back up at him. The look in her eyes was that of a scared child, worried they were about to be yelled at. "Don't stay out too late and… don't give him anything you don't want to give him."
"Gods Peter, way to kill a mood," Laura laughed and jumped, landing gracefully in a crouched position on the ground. She almost bolted straight through her mother's tent, but decided it was better to go around and not get caught running to see a boy. There was a definite lightness to her step. Maybe she was flying, and was too focused on her destination to notice it. "Looking to have your fortune told?" She asked quietly as she snuck up behind him.
"Looking for you," He smiled as he turned to find her smiling back at him. "I walked all the way from town. I wasn't sure where I was going, but I ended up here." He wasn't entirely sure why he felt the need to tell her that. In any other case he would have been embarrassed. But she was different.
"Well to be honest," Laura dipped her head as her cheeks reddened. "After spending a day without you, I considered becoming a Junior Officer just to know we had some connection."
"This feels bad," He shook his head slightly and laughed. "Laura, I'd like to ask you on a date."
"Seriously?"
"Well, officially we haven't been on a date so I suppose we've just been acquaintances until…"
"Until you told me you wanted to ask me out," She laughed. "Well, Bill, the answer is yes. I will absolutely go on a date with you." Without thinking she stepped forward and lightly brushed her lips against his. As she pulled away, she stood there for a moment with her eyes closed. Sparks were flying throughout her body and she could feel his hand on her arm, as if to steady her.
"Laura," His free hand brushed against her cheek and she opened her eyes, the smile still playing on her lips. "You have the most exquisite smile." The words were almost whispered and yet, even with the surrounding noise of the Carnival, she heard every word.
"I better go before my Mom comes out… or Peter."
"He's got some sort of hold over you…"
"He's a friend that cares too much," Laura sighed, with a roll of her eyes. "And he's no match for you, he's a musician. He can throw a punch but, to be honest, won't unless he has to."
"Thanks for the heads up," He leaned in and claimed her lips, drawing out a passionate kiss. They were the only two people in the world, and it felt so right. "I'll pick you up tomorrow night at six." He murmured against her lips, and as she pulled away she simply nodded in reply. She felt his fingers drag across her skin as they parted.
Opening her eyes, she watched as he walked away. She waited, and after a few moments he turned around. He walked backwards a few feet, watching her watching him. She couldn't help but giggle as he lost his footing and almost crashed into a jewellery stall. Slightly embarrassed, he ran a hand through his hair and disappeared. Her heart stopped for a moment and she half expected to see him return, but he didn't. Still she stood there, unsure of what her next move was. Lost in thoughts she'd never experienced before. Laura Roslin had a date.
--
Once around the corner, he paused. Was she still standing where he left her?
Should he just peek around the corner and check?
Would it be unacceptable to run back and kiss her again, when they hadn't even been on their first date?
Bill rested against a tree, smiling to himself. "Gods, what's going on in your frakked up head Adama?" He questioned. But even as he tried to be annoyed with himself for the confusion in his head, he couldn't help but smile at the thought of her. Laura with the mischievous glint in her eyes which was occasionally hidden by her fiery red hair. Her smile was bright, full of excitement and love. Bill shook his head and headed back into town, an obvious spring in his step.
