"What's the catch?" Laura leans back in her desk chair slightly, "They aren't going to willingly hand over Gaius Baltar without demanding something in return...though, we do know how he can be when faced with possible demise."
The Admiral does his best not to laugh, maintaining his gruff tone of voice, "I have no idea. I know they want to have a meeting. I'm uncertain of the extent of their offer."
She nods slowly, folding her arms. "How do we handle this? Do we let them on board?"
"I believe we have to. However, they will be closely monitored and followed. We will make it very clear to them. We must." Bill slowly removes his glasses, looking over to her, "You alright?"
"Why wouldn't I be?" Laura shakes her head.
"There's history here. You can't let the past between you and Baltar get the better of you." Bill glances to her, "Not to mention that it's dangerous now. Cylons would be on my ship..."
"There's cylons already on your ship. There's the cylon you made into a pilot after another of her model nearly killed you." She folds her arms, watching him, "So, your argument is invalid at this point. We need to bring them on board. Of course, representatives for them..." She waves her hand a little as she speaks, then checks her wristwatch, "I need to check on Sloane...and if it may be possible, I'd like his security detail to be increased when the cylons visit."
He appears amused, "Madam President, don't you think you're overreacting?"
Laura shrugs, "Am I? I fear what people believe...I've read some of the letters that are sent to me..."
"And what do you suppose that is?" Bill raises an eyebrow.
"That my son is, in some way, a cylon."
"Young lady, I have checked absolutely everything there is to check on the little guy. He's perfectly healthy." Cottle shook his head, letting the small infant hold onto his hand, "You've only had him home a couple of days and here you are, shaking like a leaf."
"He was crying and I couldn't get him to stop." Laura wrapped her arms around herself, "That's supposed to be a mother's instinct, isn't it? I'm supposed to be able to take care of that. I'm supposed to know what to do." She pushed a nervous hand through her hair.
"Would you calm the hell down? That's probably what's freaking him out so damn much." He watched her, "Where's your glasses?"
"I..." She swallowed, "I don't always need them, you know." When she received a look from him, letting her know that he knew better, she continued, "I fell asleep in bed with him in my arms...they fell off while doing so. I rolled over and..." Laura almost appears upset by the loss of her usual spectacles, "I can't imagine there's many people or supplies around here who are able to-"
"Not so much, but I happen to know one." Cottle nodded, "So relax, would you?" Gently placing the boy back into his mother's arms, he continued, "When they're that small, they either need to be fed, changed, held, or played with. That's all. Four things, young lady. That's all you have to worry about."
"Ready?" Lee held his son as the boy rested on his belly in his father's arms, when he notices him nod, he swings him around gently, "And there goes Sloane Adama in the viper his father once flew, now making a name for himself with his natural abilities. It's quite impressive, ladies and gentlemen!" He grins broadly when the boy giggles.
"Again, Daddy." Sloane squeals, pumping his arms out excitedly.
"One more time. I don't want you to get dizzy." He readies the boy, pulling his arm back.
Laura knocks softly on the door frame after opening the hatch to the room of her son's father, "Am I interrupting?"
"Madam President, you're about to see the amazing Sloane Adama do his death defying viper stunts." Lee nods to her, a smirk playing at his lips.
"Oh, well I'm glad I got here just in time." She folds her hands, taking a seat on a nearby cot. Fatherhood suited Lee. Some part of her knew it would. She remembers the stories of the little girl he saved and cared for from the black market. She offered a bright smile and a round of applause when the man set their son onto the floor. "That was fantastic." Laura lifts the boy into her lap after he moves to her.
"How was work?" The viper pilot leans down, capturing her lips briefly before walking about the cabin to pick up what little toys are scattered on the floor. When he's met with immediate silence, he looks to her face, "Laura."
"Cylons contacted us. They want to negotiate the return of Gaius Baltar." She runs her nails gently across her son's scalp, smiling a little when the boy leans against her more.
"Wouldn't that be a good thing? Let him stand the trial he deserves?" Lee raises an eyebrow, pulling his sleeves up a bit before taking a seat next to her. He can tell something else is bothering her, reaching a hand out when a tear forms in the corner of her eye, "Laura, what's wrong?"
Laura removes her glasses, before wiping her other cheek with the back of her hand, "I can't help but feel that this will have incredibly dreadful results. We get Gaius Baltar back to do gods know what to him, at what cost? I must think of every possibility."
"Then you decline their offer."
"It may not be so simple. If they want Sharon Agathon, your father isn't going to agree to that...no matter what. You know he wouldn't." She swallows, "And with the rumblings of the Church of the Born Again Mother sect sending copious amounts of letters and gifts, I think they may have cylon sympathizers amongst their ranks."
Lee listens intently to her, quickly realizing that it seems their son understands of what they are speaking. "We'll make sure Sloane is with one of us at all times while they're here."
Laura pulls her lower lip into her mouth a moment, "I have to talk to them. I can't pretend their presence within this fleet is unnoticeable." The sound of her voice forces him to understand her true worry.
"It won't happen." He pulls her to him, "Sloane is way too prominent, he's way too noticeable for anyone to attempt kidnapping or injury." The young man places a soft kiss to the woman's temple, "I love you and our son. I would lay down my own life before I allowed anything to happen to either one of you. Got it?"
She sighs heavily, "I love you too."
"I know nothing about the former President's son. I thought she was far too old to fall pregnant." Baltar shook his head, though held in place by leather restraints, "I swear to you."
"Gaius." The leggy blonde stroked his hair, "Gaius, everything is fine." She leans down, kissing the corner of his mouth.
"You lie." The other cylon figure pushed the wand further into his ear, far too confused as to why he seems so calm, despite the pain she knows she's causing him, "Tell me what you know about-"
"I said nothing." He called out.
"Gaius." The Six figure in his mind started again, finally able to bring him to a different place, surrounded by a beach. The man adjusted his head in the dream, a smile played on his face. She hummed a soft laugh, "Are you with me, Gaius?"
The white light surrounded him as he smiled, opening his eyes in the dream to listen to her, "So beautiful." Her hand snaked down into his gauze trousers.
"Tell her about the church. If she knows of that, the pain will cease." She kissed along his jaw.
"I don't know much-"
"Come on, Gaius." The Six slowly edged the elastic waistband of the white colored trousers down.
"They pray to her...they pray to the child. They are worshiped." Baltar moaned softly when he feels her hand, a sense of calm was about him still. "The child of the gods, they say. Kept within a fortress, I'd bet. Madam President...goddess among man. Crawling from the door of death, to the," He moaned softly, given what the Six in the red dress was doing to him, "to the land of living all by my own hand. If not for me, she would be gone."
The Three stopped. Not because of anything he said, but because of the tenting action occurring in his trousers. She makes a disgusted face toward him before glancing up to the blood pouring from his ear. She's seen this before.
Hera continues to sob. A cry like no other. A cry of pain.
"Come now, little one. Everything is just fine. I'm right here." D'Anna kisses the top of the toddler's head, "Your parents named you Hera...and you went by Isis on that terrible planet with those humans...I believe you deserve something a little more in tune with your true heritage."
"She has a name." Caprica folds her arms, watching her sister pace from the doorway. "She has two. She doesn't need another one."
"Of course she does."
"You'll only confuse her more than she already is." She sighs softly, "I don't think she's happy here."
"She'll get used to it." D'Anna rubs the baby's back.
"Boomer said she knows that she isn't her mother." Caprica shrugs, "She was raised by someone else entirely on New Caprica. She doesn't know an Eight as her mother, she knows that human woman who died...Maya, I think her name was. It's the name that was on the manifests as living with Laura Roslin."
"She will know a cylon as her mother." She glares slightly, "That's what's true."
"I know you love her, I love her too. We all love her. She's a miracle from God. However, she isn't happy here. This isn't home to her." The Six reaches her arms out, gently taking the sobbing infant. She quickly feels the extension of the girl's belly. "I think something may be wrong."
"She must learn who-"
"I mean with her health. Something is wrong with her health." The blonde adjusts the toddler in her arms, touching her belly gently only to receive a high pitched wail from the girl. "See?" Caprica bites the corner of her lip before continuing, "Hera, we will care for you. We will protect you at all cost, even if it means alerting the humans."
"They mustn't know the child exists. They said she was dead. For all they know, she will remain that way to them." D'Anna attempts to clean up what little toys exist in the room.
"Gaius is a doctor. There's no reason we couldn't-"
"Fine. Have your boyfriend take a look. However, if he alerts any of his kind, I will have your head for it."
Laura Roslin peered down toward the infant in her crib, able to feel that she was awake. Careful of her own protruding belly, she lifted her out of her confinement, "I can't sleep either." She says quietly to the girl, glancing to her roommate before gently stepping outside the tent, "I don't want to wake your mother." It was abnormally warm for the planet. At least to her it was. The dark skies around her relaxed her a bit. No one could see what was happening to her body when it was this dark. No one would ask questions at this time of night.
She dreamed of where Lee Adama was. She thought of him often during nights like this. The starry skies reminded her of her time as President and being stuck on Colonial One or the Galactica. "Once upon a time, Isis, there was a brilliant pilot. The pilot was young and nubile, handsome. He saw to speaking to the enemy before attacking. He accepted people for themselves...for the most part. Cylons are hard that way. Some run in the same way their line usually do and others are loving...more human." Laura cleared her throat before continuing, "The young pilot completed mission after mission with much success. However, he hid something from the rest of the world. He hid his escapades with a prominent leader...not because of fear...but because of shame."
Laura Roslin's eyes remain open, a part of her ached. Something isn't right. Gently reaching down to stroke Lee Adama's arm that is wrapped around her, she gently pries it from her body before rising from the bed. A pain. Pain she couldn't possibly verbalize. Pain she feels in her abdomen.
Lee opens his eyes slightly, feeling the absence from beside him, "Hey...you alright?"
She nods quickly. A little too quickly. "Sloane is still asleep?"
"Out like a light." He pushes himself up more, studying her, "You sure you're alright?"
"Stomach ache." Laura sights softly, placing her hands on her hips, "Not used to ship rations just yet. Not that what we grew on the planet was any better, but-"
"Sure it was. We've just got abundant amounts of seaweed up here for some reason." Lee stands, walking over to her and wrapping his arms around her, "How bad is the pain?"
She shakes her head, "It's fine." Leaning her head against the man more, she lets him hold her, "I'll be fine."
"You don't seem fine to me."
Laura slowly moves from him, racing to the bathroom. She retches into the metal disposal unit, the pain near unbearable. Something is wrong and she doesn't know why.