A/N: Here's the second chapter, which features Jude's birth! I've included content from Chapter 21 of my series Babies, which took place before this story. Loads of fluffiness live here, and I hope you enjoy. Thank you for reading!

CHAPTER 2

"Are your eyes still closed?"

Laura Roslin-Adama snorted, as she bounced in her husband's arms. "Yes, Bill."

The former admiral glanced down at his wife, as he carried her in his arms. The fan of her lashes upon her ivory skin made him grin. Her weight, and that of their unborn baby, was not a problem for him. All of his aches and pains from battle, had disappeared the day he arrived on the Shore of Elysian, and he'd taken every opportunity since then, to sweep Laura off her feet.

When Bill wasn't looking, Laura cheated, and sneaked a peek. She saw a cerulean blue sky, and puffy white clouds above them. The sun felt warm on her skin, and the faint sound of water could be heard in the near distance.

She'd been uncomfortable for the last two days. Pregnant for the second time, with their daughter Jude, Laura was not being spared from the less wonderful aspects of impending motherhood. It was one of the odd parts of living on the Shore, that she would have to take the kinda-bad with the very good. It was explained to Laura, by God Himself, that because she was pregnant in life, on New Caprica, during greatly difficult times during the Cylon Occupation, and without Bill, she would experience every aspect of gestation that there was.

Ron Moore, as God liked to be called, had a very strange sense of humor...

But since day one, from the minute they knew that Jude was inside of Laura once again, Bill had been the most attentive father-to-be, ever.

It came as no surprise to Laura, as that was the man she'd fallen in love. The one who would have done– and did, anything for her, in life. He'd sat by her side during two bouts of cancer... risked all to rescue her– and all of their people from New Caprica, and then– later drifted in space, waiting for her in a Raptor when the Cylon Baseship she'd been on had jumped away from the fleet.

Bill had admittedly been an absent father to his two sons, Lee and Zak. The fact weighed on him, even on the Shore, and he was determined that all of that would be different with Jude.

And Laura...

So, she let him surprise her with his plan. Bill Adama was famous for his grand gestures, and Laura loved them because she loved him.

He set her down briefly, in the soft grass.

"Keep your eyes closed."

"Okay."

Laura felt Bill untie the gauzy paraeu that she'd taken to wearing throughout the recent days. The soft fabric felt wonderful against the taut skin of her baby bump, and was dyed in a color that only existed in Elysian. If aqua blue were to combine with pink and lavender in Life, it would be a muddy mess– but on the Shore, the blend made for the most indescribably beautiful hue to ever be created.

Needless to say, the color was featured greatly, in Jude's nursery...

"You're beautiful, Laura," Bill husked as he stripped off his tanks and jeans. "I know you don't feel that way now, but you are to me."

She smiled as he pressed his lips to hers. "Thank you, Honey."

And then Laura felt herself being swept into Bill's arms, once again.

His dog tags jingled against his bare chest, as he waded them into the crystalline lake.

The water was pleasantly cool, and wonderfully refreshing, as they stayed together in that moment. Laura smiled, and opened her eyes, to find her husband staring at her with tremendous love in his blue eyes.

Bill set her down on the sandy bottom of the lake. "I thought this would make you feel better. I know how you like being in the water, and the weightlessness should ease your burden."

"Major brownie points, Husker," Laura stated with a hum as she tugged on Bill's tags, and drew him into a kiss.

"Thanks, Teach."

Their kiss deepened, and just as Laura felt Bill begin to lose himself in her, she took her opportunity to push him backwards and into the deeper part of the lake.

He came up sputtering, as water sluiced down him and dripped from his silver-black hair, and mustached upper lip.

"You're gonna pay for that!"

"Am, I?"

"Uh huh."

Laura squeaked as her husband pushed her, albeit gently, into the water from which he'd surfaced from. Instead of waiting for her to pop back up, Bill dove back under and found his pregnant love.

They kissed, beneath the surface, as their daughter kicked with joy inside Laura's tummy. The parents were playing, and she wanted to play as well.

Bill and Laura were both laughing, as they rose from the water together. They splashed and teased each other like children themselves, before their fingers eventually turned pruney and they finally got out and laid on the bank.

The sunlight felt wonderful on their naked bodies.

Laura liked that she never got burned to a crisp...

Bill liked that he no longer had a thick red scar down the center of his chest...

Elysian Membership, had it's perks.

They were about to take advantage of the sweetly lazy moment, and make love right then and there, but suddenly Laura's water broke!

The biggest grin was plastered on Bill's face...

Only to be outdone by Laura's...

"She's ready! Our Jude is coming!" proclaimed the father-to-be, as he jumped to his feet and began pulling on his clothing with military speed.

Laura sat up, and placed a hand to her naked belly. Her contractions had yet to start, but she knew that they would be doing so, and soon. When Bill reached down to help her up, she waved him off.

"I want to stay here, Bill. I want to have Jude by our lake, and in the warmth of the sunshine. When she was first born on New Caprica, it was in a cold, dark tent, surrounded by Cylon Centurions. But we're free now, and I want her first breaths to be able to taste all that Elysian has to offer."

Bill frowned a bit, as he knelt in the grass beside his wife.

"And she will, Laura. But she'll be doing so from inside our cabin."

The former president thinned her lips, in disagreement. "Husker–"

"No," the former admiral cut in. "No Husker-ing me, Teach. I wasn't there for the two of you, back then. I had no idea that Jude even existed, and that is something that I will regret for all of Eternity. This time is different. Everything is different, now. We have a proper home, and no dangers to worry about. We're together now, and our daughter is coming, Laura. Please, let me take you home to our cabin, so that we can welcome Jude in a proper setting– one with a comfortable bed and blankets and pillows, and all the things you might need or want. Call me a chauvinist Tauron if you want, because I am that at heart. But–"

"Okay," Laura soothed. She saw the passion in Bill's eyes, and she knew to give in. It hadn't happened many times during their relationship, as Laura almost always won out in their disagreements, but she also knew when Bill truly needed something.

And now was one of those moments...

"We can go home?"

Laura smiled at her husband, as she felt the start of her first contraction. "Yes. And we need to hurry, because I can feel the little nugget coming, and our bed is sounding more and more inviting by the minute."

And at that, Bill helped Laura to her feet and helped her re-tie her pareau. She giggled when he stuffed her panties into his pocket, after saying that she wouldn't be wearing them for long anyway.

"This is really happening," Laura stated before quickly kissing him.

Bill chuckled huskily as they parted, then replied, "Yep, and just I feel like a kid at Saturnalia, waiting for the best present ever."

"Me too."

When Bill attempted to pick Laura up again, she waved him off, saying that the walk back to the cabin was not too far and that it would help her labor progress. Her husband obeyed her wishes, but remained ever-ready if she would need assistance.

###

A few hours later, Laura was ever grateful for her husband's help...

And the comforts of their home...

Not that she needed them, of course.

"Oh, God! Bill! Please!"

He hurried with the fresh bowl of cool water, and a new stack of fluffy wash cloths, all in hopes of easing his wife's condition. When Bill returned to their bedroom, he found Laura sitting on the edge of their bed. She was flushed and sweaty, and the look in her eyes said that she was not loving the current moment she was in.

"What can I do?"

Laura glared up at Bill. "You did plenty enough, on New Caprica. Admiral."

The man coughed nervously. "I seem to recall you asking me to knock you up. Madam President."

"I was high on weed at the time."

"True."

Despite her look of wanting to airlock him, Bill went to her side and proceeded to wet a cloth and smooth it across her already damp forehead. That helped a bit, as Laura hummed softly while cradling her belly.

Bolstered by his efforts of doing good, Bill continued to cool his wife's chest and arms, all while singing the song he serenaded her with during the night of New Caprica's groundbreaking.

"I've got a girl... gonna show her all my dreams..."

Laura giggled at that, and then kissed Bill's concerned brow. "We need to thank Juan, for that song, the next time we see him."

Bill nodded. "He and his wife Lupe' will come to Jude's Presentation, I'm sure."

"Our families and friends can't wait," Laura said of the future event, in which all of their loved ones on the Shore would get to officially meet the newest Roslin-Adama. "But first she has to come out."

Continuing to serve as Laura's midwife, her husband felt between her legs to check on her progress. Finding that she was not fully dilated enough to push, Bill suggested that they try walking a bit, to help speed things along and for a change of scenery for Laura.

"You're very good at this."

"I was about to say the same of you."

Laura laughed huskily as they arrived outside, to stand on their wraparound porch. The air felt good outside, but she was glad they were still under their cozy roof.

"This is never an easy process," Laura stated. "I was there as a kid, when both of my sisters were born, and I helped Cally Tyrol when she gave birth to Nicholas during the Occupation. It hurts like a motherfrakker, no matter what."

"If I could, I'd take the pain for you."

Bill's solemn declaration went directly to Laura's heart, as she knew that had always been the case with him.

"I know."

She hoped that he'd known the same was true for her, in regard to him.

"Yeah, of course I knew," Bill replied without prompt.

Just as they came together in a kiss, a powerful contraction tore through Laura, and her knees buckled. Before she could drop to the floorboards of their deck, Bill swept her into his arms and carried her back to their bed.

"We can do this, Laura."

"We?" she teased sassily. "You're going to pass something the size of a grapefruit, out the hole in your cock?"

Her husband paled and blushed, simultaneously, as he mentally pictured their baby's head emerging from his tarse.

"No, I..."

Laura's happy laughter was cut short by another quick, but deep contraction. It caused her to double forward and clutch her legs, which were bent at the knees. Half moons were scored into her bare thighs, as her now sweat soaked paraeu was bunched up to just below her breasts.

Bill made himself useful, and checked his wife's progress.

Jude's head had fully emerged.

The parents took turns touching their daughter's wet scalp. She had a ton of hair, which was not a surprise, but the look in Laura's eyes upon feeling her child for the second First Time, made Bill's heart break.

There was fear in her green depths, and Bill knew instantly what Laura was thinking and remembering.

A cold, dark tent...

Jude's first birth...

Too soon...

Before she could envision the last memory, Bill moved to kiss Laura's fears away.

"It's not going to be like the last time, Teach. Our girl is strong, and destined to be with us. Remember what the oracle told you long ago, on New Caprica?"

His wife nodded through the pain of her last contraction. Adama babies were known to have wide shoulders, and to Laura it felt like little Jude was about to split her in two.

The Guide & The Mariner shall bring forth a New Life– and she shall be the tangible symbol of their love...

"It's going to be alright, Husker," Laura stated finally, as she kissed her husband.

And it was.

Laura gave one final push, and Jude Persephone Roslin-Adama popped right out– just like a tiny Viper through one of Galactica's launch tubes, right into her father's large and very capable hands.

The newborn cried her healthy little lungs out, like a future president or admiral would, and it was music to both of her parents ears, needless to say.

And it brought tears of great joy to both Bill and Laura.

Without even waiting to dry her off, Bill tenderly laid his daughter on Laura's bared chest, and joined them both in bed. He would deliver the afterbirth later, and bury it in accordance with Tauran tradition– but in that moment he was needed somewhere else far greater.

Laura hummed as Bill kissed her, and then Jude.

Their girl was a total and sweet combination of them both.

"She's a Roslin, for sure," Bill said of Jude's dark red hair, and delicate hands.

Laura giggled as she examined her daughter's wide feet, and knew that Jude didn't get them from her. That was Bill's genetic contribution, as was his beautiful tan skin.

"She's perfect," Laura proclaimed.

"Just like her mommy," Bill added, as he kissed both of his two girls softly.

Laura hummed yet again, as she kissed her husband's smiling mouth. "And her daddy."

After a few minutes of watching their daughter reverently, both parents noticed Jude rooting against Laura's chest, and wimper lustily.

"She's hungry!"

Laura and Bill smiled at each other's excited joy, in knowing that Jude was in need of her first feeding. The birth process had to have been an ordeal for her as well, so it was no wonder that Jude had a healthy appetite.

So with great pride and awe, the parents watched as Jude latched on easily to one of Laura's yearning nipples, and suckle like a little pro.

"She's a noisy eater," Bill noted, with a smile.

Laura snorted. "Not unlike you when you have a bowl of noodles."

The parents laughed quietly, with joy, and agreed that every one of the sights and sounds of their daughter were the most beautiful ever, and were well worth the very long journey that they'd taken to get there.

"I'd say it's about time, wouldn't you?" Laura asked Bill rhetorically, echoing his reaction to her declaration of love to him years before.

"Yep."

They were finally a family... and it was more than good!

#TO BE CONTINUED#