Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica belongs to Ronald D. Moore and the Sci-Fi channel.
Chapter 15: Moment of peace
The wedding of Admiral Adama and President Roslin took place two months after they had left Earth. Actually resigning had taken more time than Laura had originally figured. It had taken three weeks to find Lee a vice-president. Kelly Graham was petite, blonde, and the replacement from the Sagittarians. She had originally been a librarian at the time of the attacks, and had gone into teaching the surviving children later. The Quorum would not let Laura resign until the new staff adjustments had been made. Then for the sake of history and publicity, the press wanted her to wait to resign until after the wedding.
Compared to the politics surrounding it, planning the wedding seemed much less chaotic than she had originally assumed. Sorenson had been kind enough to help her find a few chefs who were willing to try cooking new dishes so that Laura and Bill could have Colonial food at their wedding. Dee had a few friends from Galactica find music, but when she put out inquiries she ended up with a small orchestra of volunteers who wanted to play actual instruments for the wedding.
On the day of the wedding, Kara was having too much fun telling people where to sit, calling everyone 'nuggets,' in spite of the pastel green brides' maid dress that had been assigned to her. In a tent set up near the field that had been selected for the ceremony, Caprica was helping Laura with her dress. It was white with an old-fashioned neckline that reached the shoulders and long sleeves. The entire top half was heavily embroidered with floral designs and the skirt fanned out.
Caprica pulled up the zipper in the back of the dress as Laura took a breath. "I hope that's not too tight."
Laura faced her with a small smile. "No, it's fine. It's a good thing you added a couple of inches to the measurements we made."
"You look lovely," Caprica remarked as Laura glanced at her reflection.
The blonde Cylon wore a simple sky blue dress. Laura turned back to her as the other woman took a seat on the bench that had been brought in. "Are you certain you don't want to be a bride's maid?" Laura inquired.
Caprica blushed. "It was nice of you to ask me, but I can't stand for that long."
Dee slipped into the tent, wearing the simple strap sleeved V-neck dress that had been selected for the brides' maids. While Kara's had been pastel green, Dee's dress was lavender. "Laura, are you ready?"
Laura smiled at her maid of honor. "Coming, Dee. I just need to get the veil on without completely destroying my hairdo."
"Let me help," Dee volunteered.
Laura's natural hair had grown to just past her shoulders and with only water could sustain a natural curl. Few people knew that her hair was not another wig. Dee had fixed the veil so that it slid over Laura's ears like glasses, rather than clipping it to her hair. After moving a few curls to frame Laura's face, Dee moved back to smile. "You look good, ma'am."
The older woman blushed. "Thank you. Go ahead and tell them I'm ready."
As Dee rushed outside, Laura took a deep breath. She was marrying a man she loved, in front of thousands of people, Terrans as well as Colonials. All at once she sat down by Caprica. "Are you alright?" the blonde Cylon asked.
"I shouldn't be nervous, but I just realized how many people are going to be watching this," Laura remarked.
"I'm sure it will be-" Caprica broke off in midsentence, placing a hand on her abdomen. Laura eyed her with concern. "It's okay. I'm six months pregnant and should be used to the baby moving so much by now."
"I think I'm beginning to understand how much of a distraction that might be if you were standing as a brides' maid," Laura commented.
Caprica reached for one of Laura's hands. Then she placed Laura's hand on her abdomen. "It feels strange, but then it becomes… well I can't think of another word except comforting to have something alive, so close to you."
Laura smiled back. "Thank you for sharing that."
She heard footsteps outside the tent and stood. Cottle wandered into the tent. "Well, are you coming out or not? I can't give the bride away if you're going to spend all afternoon in this tent," he grumbled.
"Of course I'm coming," Laura responded, looping one of her arms around his. As he left the tent, Caprica went to sit by Athena.
Outside numerous white chairs were separated into rows on the grass, split into two groups so that a white strip of material down the center of them could serve as an aisle. Bill stood at the front of the chairs with Saul next to him as his best man, both in their dress grays. Bill shifted from one foot to the other.
Saul smirked. "You aren't nervous, Old Man, are you?"
"No," Bill said too quickly. "I just want to know what's taking so long. I saw Dee go into that tent, and it's like she disappeared."
"Caprica and Laura are in there, and three women in a small space usually means that they've got something to talk about. There's Dee. And there goes Cottle. He'll set things straight," Saul commented.
Bill sighed. "I just hope she's alright."
"You worry too much. Here they come," Saul stated as Cottle walked Laura down the aisle, both ignoring the camera flashes of the press. Dee stood next to Laura as her maid of honor for the ceremony.
Only Laura could read the intense anticipation on Bill's face as she arrived. "You always look smart in your dress grays," she told him with a smile, running a hand over his sash.
He caressed her left cheek with his right hand. "You are so beautiful."
She blushed deeply. Then the priest cleared his throat. He was a small balding man with a long beard. "Shall we begin?"
Both nodded and Bill looked back to Saul, who handed him Laura's wedding ring. It was a gold band with a heart-shaped diamond in the middle, flanked by a small round diamond on both sides. The priest spoke again. "This ring represents a complete, unbroken circle, love's constancy and love's unbreakable bond."
Then the priest pulled out a white string. "This string represents the linear life that we live. Please join hands." Bill clasped Laura's right hand in his left. The priest took the string and tied their hands together. "The joining of hands represents the joining of lives. As this string bonds you now, so shall your lives be bonded in marriage. So say we all."
"So say we all," Bill and Laura repeated.
The priest looked at him. "Do you, Admiral William Adama take President Laura Roslin to be your wife, through joy and trials, harvest and famine, prosperity and poverty, health and illness, for as long as life allows?"
Bill answered in his gravelly voice, "I do," never taking his eyes from Laura's.
Smiling, the priest looked to Laura. "And do you, President Laura Roslin, take Admiral William Adama to be your husband, through joy and trials, harvest and famine, prosperity and poverty, health and illness, for as long as life allows?"
Tears of happiness slipped down Laura's cheeks as she smiled only for Bill. "I do."
"May you give each other the same care and devotion that you've given the fleet. By the power vested in me," he paused to untie the string around their hands, "I now pronounce you husband and wife. You man now kiss the bride."
At the sudden ambush of flashes, Bill and Laura hesitated, still keeping their hands joined. He slowly cupped her cheek with his right hand. As he leaned toward her, someone shouted "Just kiss her already." Laura giggled softly before Bill kissed her soundly. She wrapped her free hand around his neck, pulling him closer. Suddenly the press did not matter. Thunderous applause erupted.
Bill and Laura parted, turning back to the people. Hands still joined, they walked down the aisle and out to the tables for the wedding reception. The food was set out as a buffet of Colonial dishes, but for that part reservations were required. Most people had Ambrosia or Picon Brandy, but for Laura and Caprica, Morgana had found Sparkling Apple Cider, which looked enough like Picon Brandy to anyone who would question the drinks.
Lee raised a glass to toast as everyone got their plate of food. Laura and Bill were seated at the head table. Bill nodded to Lee as he stepped out in front of the table, looking at the crowd. "A toast, to the finest leaders in the fleet, who have gone through so much, and come so far. They brought us out of the Attacks, promising Earth. They found Earth, and promised us a new home. They have kept their promises to us as we stand here today, to celebrate the first Colonial wedding on solid ground."
"So say we all," several people called out.
However, Lee had more to say. "They gave us more than a home. They gave us hope when we had none, and gave us something to hope for. You can't just survive; you need something to live for. Admiral, Madame President, you now have each other to live for, and I couldn't be happier for you. May you continue to lean on each other, and love each other. To the man I'm proud to call my father, and the woman I'm happy to call my stepmother, thank you for everything you've done, not just for the fleet, but for me. Congratulations and many more years together."
Laura was wiping the tears from her eyes. Bill managed to rumble, "So say we all."
Saul from where he sat with Caprica echoed, "So say we all."
Kara and Sam shouted, "So say we all."
"So say we all," Dee chimed in.
A massive "so say we all" spread through the crowd like a wave.
After the banquet, the traditional Colonial dancing began. A slow dance played first, in which Bill and Laura danced in the middle of the couples. He held her closely as she rested her head on his shoulder. "We haven't done this since Colonial Day. Do you remember?" she whispered.
"Of course. How could I forget that I somehow ended up dancing with the most beautiful woman in the room that day?" he remarked.
"Flatterer," she teased.
"Only for my wife," he whispered in her ear.
As the first dance ended, the orchestra switched to the livelier number, one that required lots of spinning and changing of partners. Bill and Laura danced for a while longer, but then took a seat, letting the younger crowd enjoy the dancing. "I think I'm done for the day," Laura remarked.
Bill smirked. "That dance is hard to keep up with."
As they sat watching the others, she rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her. Then she glanced over by one of the refreshment tables. "Look Bill, it's Jack, and it looks as though Dr. Sorenson has found him."
"This might be interesting," he stated, watching the other two.
As Cottle crossed his arms in front of him, watching the dance, Morgana suddenly appeared on his left. "So this is what you people do for fun."
He smirked. "It's called dancing."
"I can see that," she remarked, stepping closer to him.
Her gaze followed the dancers. Though it was nothing near a pace he would have preferred, Cottle had an idea. "Would you like to dance?"
Morgana snorted, eyeing him incredulously. "Me? I'm absolutely terrible at it. I mean look at how quickly they all move. I would just fall flat on my face."
"Then you haven't had a descent dancing partner. If your partner's worth his salt, he won't let you fall," Cottle refuted.
She raised an eyebrow. "If I didn't know better, I'd say that almost sounded like a pass."
He shook his head. "I'm too old for that nonsense, but I'm not too old to dance."
"Well I am," she protested.
"No you're not. All you have to do is trust me," he said plainly.
"You, Doctor, are a bad influence," she volleyed.
"And you, Madame, don't know when to compromise," he argued.
She sighed. "You're not giving up, are you?"
"One dance," he said, offering her his hand.
Morgana studied him, looking him up and down in the suit he wore. "Only if you find me some of that drink you call 'Ambrosia' afterward."
He eyed the revealing round-neckline red dress that she had chosen for the occasion. "Deal."
They joined in the faster dancing and soon Morgana found herself laughing with everyone else. When she found herself in Cottle's arms as the dance ended, she was flushed and out of breath. "I do believe that you've had fun for once," he teased.
She chuckled lightly. "Maybe you're right."
As promised, he led her back to the refreshment table for Ambrosia. When they both had glasses, she took a sip. The she coughed immediately. "This stuff burns. It's like a drink we have called Scotch, except Scotch isn't green."
"How come you didn't have any during the toast?" Cottle inquired.
"I was actually thirsty and had a glass of water at the time," Morgana answered. She finished off her glass, continuing to sputter.
He could not resist smirking at her discomfort. "It's a good thing we're both doctors. You're going to need help if you can't hold your liquor."
Standing up straight, she looked at him directly in the eyes. "What did you just say?"
"You can't hold your liquor," he repeated.
"Is that a fact?" She set her empty glass on the table. "Pour me another one, and pour another for yourself."
He raised an eyebrow, complying with her request. "You sure about this?"
"Come on, Doctor, let's find out if you can drink as well as you smoke," she challenged.
Four glasses and two thirds of a bottle of Ambrosia later, both were staggering. "I think, while one of us still has the capacity to think like a doctor, that we've both had enough," Cottle concluded.
Morgana shakily left her glass on the table. "Perhaps you're right." She walked away from the table and bumped into a folding chair.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, catching her so that she did not fall. "You, young lady, should probably go home."
When he tried to help her walk, his own intoxicated state caused them to walk into a vacated table. "Doctor, you should probably go home yourself," she told him, sitting on the table. The awkwardness of their situation suddenly caused her to double over in laughter.
He laughed with her. "This… is a… bad sign."
She nodded, still laughing. "Yes. And you're… a bloody… scoundrel. I haven't… been this drunk… since I quit smoking."
Helping her stand, he walked her out of the banquet area. The finally stopped laughing as they breathed in the night air. "Do you want me to walk you home?" he offered.
Her face held an expression that he could not read as she stopped walking. Without warning, she suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck as her lips crashed into his. She kissed him passionately and then moved back. "I want to take you home with me," she whispered.
"We're both somewhat plastered. I don't know if that's a good idea," he told her, resting his forehead against hers.
"I've wanted to kiss you since we were in your office looking at those files. It's not the alcohol," she admitted.
"You are an infuriating, attractive woman. Are you sure you won't hate yourself in the morning?" he probed.
She cupped his cheek with her hand, moving back to look at him. "Doctor, I know what I am asking.
He still eyed her with concern. "It's been a long day."
"Our conversation about dancing led me to believe that you had more energy than I would expect; prove it," she challenged.
"Promise me you won't regret what you're asking," he requested.
In response, she grabbed the shirt of his suit to pull him close to her. Then she kissed him deeply. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. When they parted to breath, she looked up at him. "That should be all the answer you need."
Bill and Laura had watched Cottle and Morgana leave together. "I thought he didn't like her," Laura commented.
"You can't tell these days. Some people would think I didn't like you in the beginning either," Bill teased.
She chuckled, kissing him softly. "You shouldn't listen to ship's gossip."
He looked around to see most of the people dancing or eating, with some trickling out of the area. "You think anyone would mind if we skipped out?"
"I hope you've got a Raptor ready with an offer like that," she mentioned with a grin.
"It just so happens that I do. I also have two days on the Rising Star booked," he whispered.
"Then why are we still here?" she asked wryly. He kissed her soundly. Then they stood, quietly slipping past the tables, through the grass, and over to a waiting Raptor. Someone had painted 'Just Married' on the back.
Bill knocked three times on the door as they arrived. The Raptor door opened to reveal Kara as the pilot. "I thought you two would leave before saying goodbye, so I volunteered to fly you to your honeymoon."
They entered and the door closed behind them. "Thank you," Bill stated.
"Is there any particular reason you wanted to see us off?" Laura probed as the Raptor climbed through the atmosphere.
"Check under your seat, Laura," the blonde pilot remarked.
Laura found a semi-flat rectangular box. As she opened it and showed it to Bill, both stared at the contents with wonder. "Are these chocolates?" Laura asked.
The Raptor had breached the atmosphere and was heading toward the fleet. "Yep. Can't tell you where I got them though. I need my secrets. They have a purpose though."
"Should we ask what that might be?" Bill said.
Kara glanced over her shoulder with a big grin on her face. "Think of them as a between frak-time, I mean between rack-time snack."
Laura rolled her eyes. "You've been waiting all day to say that, haven't you?"
"Having to listen to the Quorum argue about where I told them to sit needs to have some perks," Kara stated as they reached the Rising Star.
(A/N: Due to the fact that I'm trying to maintain the 'T' rating on this story, we will not be seeing Bill and Laura's honeymoon in the next chapter. They deserve a little privacy after all the press coverage of their wedding :D)
(My thanks to kywildcat, Guardian Ghost, WonderfallsOnDaisies, carolann, and McGonagallFan for reviewing :D)