A/N:

I'd like to thank Magges and the guest for reviewing and chipdales for following, it is greatly appreciated!

In order to establish a timeline (since I've planned 25 chapters, eek!) I am putting the previous chapter at 1st of June (in a modern setting), I have also put Bill and Laura's ages at age 38 and 33 respectively (based on the supposed 30 year age difference between Bill and Lee, as well as the real age difference between Eddie and Mary).

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

All mistakes are my own. I don't currently have a beta, would anyone like to?

I hope you enjoy!

3rd of June

Laura locked the front door to the bookstore, and turned over the sign indicating she was closed for lunch, before rushing three blocks to a small café located in the centre of Caprica City. Upon her arrival she greeted Marcy with a hug and sat down at their regular table.

"So how have you been? How is the bookstore going?" Marcy asked.

"I've been good, the bookstore is running smoothly so far, how about you?"

"Pretty good, I'm hosting a girl's get together at my place on Friday night, can you bring that amazing cheesecake you make?"

"Sorry I'm busy this Friday night".

"Doing what? you're never busy on a Friday night".

"I have a date" Laura mumbled while pretending to peruse the menu, she wasn't about to give too much away after the whole Shaun debacle.

"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that, you have a what?"

"I have a date" Laura replied looking Marcy dead in the eye, telling her too not overact but it was too late. "You what!" Marcy squealed as Laura tried to quite her down.

"Who is he, do I know him?"

"No you don't, he's just a guy who came into the bookstore a couple of times" Laura replied trying to end the conversation. The waiter came over to take their orders, saving Laura from having to answer any more questions, but by the look Marcy gave Laura, she knew she wouldn't be off the hook for long.

6th of June

Laura let out a sigh as she stepped out of a red strapless dress and surveyed the disaster which was her room; nearly every dress she owned was strewn across her bed, but she couldn't seem to find a dress that made her look and feel good. This was ridiculous! It was just a date, but then again she didn't date very often. In the past she always became involved with men she knew she wouldn't become emotionally entangled, but this was different, for some reason she cared about this man and really wanted tonight to go well.

Searching through the clothes buried at the back of her closet, she found a black dress she had purchased with her sisters three years ago but never worn. She tore the tag off the dress and stepped into it, zipping up the dress, before walking over to the mirror and admiring herself. The dress was perfect, with spaghetti straps and a sweetheart neckline, showing a glimpse of cleavage, the dress gathered at the waist before falling softly to her knees.

Nodding at herself in approval, she looked over to the clock on her bedside table and realised she had only twenty minutes to finish getting ready before Bill would arrive. She quickly ran to her ensuite styling her hair so it fell in curls over her shoulders and applying a light covering of makeup, ready just at 7pm when she heard a knock on her front door.

She slipped on her black pumps and grabbed her clutch, stopping just before she opened the door to take a deep breathe.

"Hi, you look great!" Bill said when she opened the door, smiling as he admired her auburn hair and piercing green eyes, as well as how the dress hugged her curves and showed off her legs. She really was the epitome of beautiful to him.

"Hello, thank you, you don't look too bad yourself" Laura replied admiring the way his suit perfectly fit his muscled frame. He was probably only a few inches taller than her, but his commanding presence made him appear larger.

"Thank you" Laura said as Bill pushed her chair in for her at the intimate restaurant, just a short walk from her apartment.

"So how is the bookstore going?" Bill asked once he was seated.

"Good, business seems to be going well, still trying to find my feet, but I've just hired a young man named Billy to help me out" Laura replied "so what do you do for work?"

"I'm with the Colonial fleet, as a Major on the Battlestar Atlantia" Bill replied confidently "I'm in charge of all pilots and their Vipers or Raptors, as well as all flight plans and training".

"That must keep you away from your boys a lot?"

"Yeah it does, I only get one week of shore leave every four weeks, so it's hard only seeing them for such a limited time, especially since my ex-wife made me fight tooth and nail to get custody of them for that week" Bill supplied "Anyway enough about me, I noticed the bookstore only recently opened, what did you do before that?"

"I was a teacher for ten years at Caprica state primary school".

"What made you decide to change careers?"

"Uh my father and sisters passed away a year ago in a car crash and he left me the building in his will" Laura replied.

"I'm sorry" Bill said feeling his heart break slightly for the pain this woman had gone through.

"That's okay, books were one of the things my father and I both adored, so building the store has helped me work through a lot" she replied with a small smile.

The both looked away for each other for a moment in a somber silence before the waiter arrived to take their orders.

Once the waiter left Laura decided to change the topic "how are your boys doing? Lee and Zak right?"

"Yes, they're good, Lee's just joined his schools pyramid team and that's all he talks about right now. Zak's really interested in raptors at the moment, but is very laid back and happy to do anything".

Laura watched his face as it light up as he continued to talk about his boys. His blue eyes were shinning, she couldn't help notice once again how handsome he was, and that although his face was marred with scars, he carried himself with a confidence which was very attractive.

With dinner finished Laura and Bill opted to walk the short distance back to her apartment. "I had a really nice time" Bill told her upon reaching her doorstep "and if you'd like, I'd like to do this again when I'm back on shore leave?"

"I'd like that" Laura replied smiling softly.

Laura could tell by the way he was looking at her that he wanted to kiss her, but was unsure of what he reaction would be, so she placed her hand on Bill's shoulder and slowly leaned in before lightly pressing her lips against his. Laura opened her eyes as they pulled apart and smiled at him, he returned the smile before cupping her neck and bringing his lips crashing back to hers in a searing kiss. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip gently asking permission to enter and she nipped at his bottom lip before they devoured each other, tongues duelling and exploring for what felt like hours, before gently parting as they both panted slightly.

"I ship out on Monday but can I call you while I'm away?" Bill asked.

"Definitely" Laura replied smiling giving a final kiss goodbye and ducking inside before she dragged him in with her.

Reviews keep me motivated! J