A/N: I'd like to thank Myoubellevue for reviewing. I'd also like to give an extra special thank you to Ilovetoship, AdamaGirl, Imperfect Being and ozzlover for consistently reviewing, you four help me keep motivated and pump out updates!
Chapter rating: T
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.
12th September
At 5:30pm Bill heard Laura's car pull into driveway and opened the front door, as she stepped out carrying a strawberry cheesecake. Bill smiled sweetly and walked over to her, taking the cheesecake out of her hands. "Hey, it looks great" he said, giving her a quick kiss and ushering her towards the front door.
"Hi" she replied "how's the prep going?"
"Well foods all good, however the boys are still a work in progress, they've had their baths, but getting them into clothes has been a struggle" he replied. At that moment the couple heard a high pitched squeal and then the sound of feet running down the hallway. Lee and Zak appeared before them in nothing but the underwear grinning. They ran to Laura each hugging a leg and looking up at her sweetly.
"Where are your shirts and pants boys?" Bill asked the pair with a mock frown.
Lee and Zak continued to grin, saying nothing and hiding their faces behind Laura's legs. Laura stifled a laugh while Bill sighed and shook his head, before giving Laura a smirk and grabbing Lee, turning him upside down.
"Daddy" Lee squealed taken by surprise, while his brother burst into laughter beside Laura.
"Come on, we need to get you dressed before Ellen and Saul arrive"….."Laura, you know what to do" Bill told her with a wicked gleam in his eye, before carrying Lee down towards the boys bedroom.
"Yes sir" Laura said saluting Bill.
"O oh" Zak said looking up at Laura, but he didn't have a chance to run away before she had picked the giggling boy up and begun heading in the same direction as Bill.
It took another 15 minutes to get the boys dressed, which only left Bill five minutes to finish preparing the salad and set the table. Bill rushed around the kitchen, and Laura took the boys into the living room to play, ensuring they stayed out of their father's way.
She was helping Zak and Lee build a Lego shelter for a viper, when a tall blonde woman came sauntering into Bill's house, a man following closely behind carrying a bottle of wine and ambrosia.
"Bill" the woman called out, the smell of alcohol unmistakable from where Laura was sitting.
Bill poked his head out from the kitchen and smiled when he spotted his friends. "Ellen, Saul, how are you doing?" he asked walking over to clasp Saul's hand and place a kiss on Ellen's cheek. Turning towards Laura and the boys he held out a hand to Laura, helping her up from the ground. "Saul Ellen, this is Laura Roslin, my girlfriend" Bill said, "Laura, these are my friends Saul and Ellen''.
"Nice to meet you" Laura said extending her hand in greeting.
"So this is the woman I keep hearing about all the time when we are upon the Atlantia" Saul said kindly taking Laura's hand.
Ellen on the of her hand looked Laura up and down, appraising her before lightly taking Laura's hand and saying "well aren't you just sweet, you look nothing like Carolanne" in a sarcastic tone, causing Laura to freeze.
Feeling the tension in the room building Saul stepped forward, offering the bottle of ambrosia to Bill and said "why don't we all have a glass of ambrosia and sit down to chat".
"Great idea Saul" Bill said grabbing some tumblers out of a cabinet, and quickly pouring four drinks.
"Sit down you two" Bill said gesturing towards the couch, "I'll just go grab something for the boys".
"Is she always like this?" Laura asked concerned, following him into the kitchen.
"She's just got a big personality, which takes a bit of getting used to, and even though she sleeps with half of the fleet when we're away, Saul loves her….she'll grow on you over time" Bill told her gently embracing her and giving her a quick kiss for reassurance, before handing her two juice boxes for the boys.
When dinner was ready, Laura and Bill sat down on one side of the table, with Saul and Ellen seated opposite them, and one of the boys each at each end of the table. The group chatted amicably as they ate their meal, with Saul asking questions about Laura and telling her stories about Bill, the boys from time to time injecting with stories from their week.
Having polished off her fourth glass of ambrosia Ellen turned towards Lee and said "you are the spitting image of your mother Lee, but you Zak, you definitely take after your father".
Laura stiffened in her chair, although she knew about Lee and Zak's mother, and the boys mentioned her from time to time, it was still a relatively new topic. Hearing her name brought up for the second time by people who knew her as Bill's former wife, made her feel that she was coming up short in comparison to Carolanne. Bill noticing her discomfort, placed a hand on her thigh stroking softly. He gave a stern look to Ellen, who knowing she had hit a sore spot just grinned and asked for another glass of ambrosia.
"They do, but they're still young so who knows….did Lee tell you about his pyramid games?" Bill asked trying to change the topic.
"I'm the most improved player" Lee beamed to the group, telling the group in detail about his coach's comments at the latest game. Bill let the kids direct the conversation for the rest of the meal, ensuring they stayed on safe topics.
Once everyone finished their meal Laura and Bill cleared the used dishes and brought out the cheesecake. Upon seeing the dessert Zak and Lee immediately perked up, their eyes growing wide as they kneeled on their seats to gain a better view. Laura grinned at their faces, pleased that they appreciated her effort and cut six slices, placing them in front of each person with a fork.
"Yum" was the only noise heard around the table, especially from the boys, who ended up with a large amount of the cheesecake on their faces. The adults laughed at the children and Bill grabbed a wet cloth to wipe their faces, before instructing the group to move to the living room while he made a coffee for all the adults and Laura grabbed both Lee and Zak a small bottle of milk.
Zak snuggled next to Laura on the couch drinking his milk, while she sipped her coffee and stroked a hand through his hair. Lee however wanting to be a big boy sat in his own chair.
Laura left most of the talking to Bill, enjoying how animated he was, as he talked with one his closest friend. So far from the little time she'd spent with the couple, Saul really seemed to be a good man, who genuinely cared about Bill. Ellen on the other hand was a bit hard to swallow at times, although after a stern talking to her by her husband while Laura was in the kitchen, Ellen was trying to include Laura and find things they had in common.
Laura looked down and found Zak fast asleep with his head resting on her chest and his hand barely holding onto his bottle. Laura smile and ran her hand down his back, looking towards Lee and finding him half asleep too.
"I think it's time for the boys to go to bed" Laura said indicating towards the sleepy boys.
Bill moved to get up, but Laura placed a hand on his shoulder and said "stay and talk to Saul and Ellen, I'll get them into bed". She lifted Zak into her arms and walked over to Lee rousing him before heading with the two sleepy boys towards their bedroom.
"Thank you for coming" Bill said as the group moved towards the door once the clock hit midnight.
"That's okay, it's always good to spend time with you off of the ship, and it was good to finally meet you Laura" Saul replied giving Laura a friendly hug.
"What he said" Ellen slurred as Saul struggled to hold her upright "oh, I nearly forgot". Laura held out the unfinished bottle of ambrosia and a stumbling, giggling Ellen grabbed it, thanking Laura as she walked out the front door.
"Thank you" Bill said kissing Laura once the door was fully closed "I know Ellen can be bit much, but once you get to know her she changes".
"That's okay, I survived the experience, plus it was nice to get to know your friends, especially as they told me some interesting stories about you" she replied grinning and wrapping her arms around his neck.
When Laura started to yawn Bill told her "you should stay tonight, I don't want you driving if your tired".
"Are you sure it's okay for me to stay over while the boys are here?" She asked. Bill smiled at her, cupping her hand in his and leading her up the hallway to his bedroom.
I hope you liked it!