Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica belongs to Ronald D. Moore and the Sci-Fi channel.

Chapter 24: Trouble on the horizon

Laura squirmed, waking from the dream. Bill groaned, sitting up to find the light switch. "We need a bigger bed. One of us is going to wake up on the floor eventually."

"Sorry Bill," she stated, sitting up to face him.

"It's fine. So what's up? Are you too hot? Do you need to use the head?" he inquired.

She shook her head. "I had another dream."

He moved past her while she sat on the end of the bed. Then he grabbed his bathrobe. "Something tells me that I'm going to want coffee before I hear this. You want tea again?"

"Yes, thank you," she replied, rising to find her white bathrobe.

Once they were sitting on the couch with their mugs in hand, they resumed the conversation. "The red-haired girl was in CIC this time, playing with your model ships," Laura began.

"Without a fleet to command, that's probably all they'll be good for," he grumbled.

"It'll be fine, you'll just need time to adjust," she reassured him, placing her free hand over his. "Anyway, she took a ship from the table that didn't look Colonial, and brought it over to a spot on the floor where she sat down, surrounded by twelve balls. Then she pushed a button on the ship and what appeared to be escape pods shot out of it, hitting the balls. I picked one up and the number on it was nine, zero, eight."

He raised an eyebrow. "That's definitely one I haven't heard before. No caves this time."

"Bill, be serious," she told him, frowning slightly. "It means that there were nine hundred, eight survivors."

Sighing, he took another gulp of his coffee. "So you think that the humans that created Cylon technology might have had survivors?"

She nodded emphatically. "Exactly."

"I don't know. Don't you think we'd have heard something by now? I don't recall hearing about a sub-group from another civilization within the fleet," Bill pointed out.

Draining her coffee mug, she set it on the coffee table. "Maybe there were survivors, but they didn't survive the Attacks."

He shook his head. "That's not the point. If they survived at all, why didn't they warn people?"

She shrugged. "Perhaps they felt that it would be better to keep quiet. If any of them are still in the fleet, there's a good chance that they've stayed quiet so no one will blame them for the Attacks."

"I suppose it's possible," he responded.

"Regardless of whether or not there were survivors, the question we should be asking is why am I dreaming about this anyway? I feel like just when I'm on the edge of understanding, I suddenly get swarmed by more questions," she remarked.

He ran a hand through his hair. "Why don't we get showers and figure this out later?"

She smirked. "Procrastinator."

"On the bright side, you won't have to worry about using too much water, given how few people are still onboard," he mentioned.

After taking showers, they walked down to the galley and cooked algae pancakes for themselves. "You would think that we would've brought food with us."

He shook his head. "Years from now, we're not going to remember how this stuff tasted."

She laughed. "That's a poor excuse for not bringing something that tastes better. The disturbing appearance of green pancakes is forever cemented in my memory. I really don't need to remember the flavor."

Chuckling, he took another bite. "You might have a point."

After breakfast, they made their way to CIC. He looked out at the viewscreen, leaning on the console. She watched him quietly. After hearing him sigh twice, she shook her head and spoke. "What's bothering you?"

"I just don't know what to do with Galactica. She's been a good ship, saved us more times than I can count. It doesn't feel right to scrap her," he expressed.

Laura slowly walked over to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I think the bigger question you're asking is 'what will Bill Adama do without a ship to command?'"

He faced her with a small smile. "Didn't know I was that transparent."

She smirked. "Only to me."

"You're right. I don't know how to be retired. I've been on a ship more than on a planet for around forty-six years. I know how to look after a fleet. I've never really been good at anything else," he admitted.

Kissing him on the cheek, she grinned. "You really have underestimated your own abilities. I seem to recall a certain model ship that looks spectacular, despite having been rebuilt at least twice."

"That's a hobby, not a career. There isn't enough wood on that planet to make a career out of it," he pointed out.

She rolled her eyes. "You're not making this easy. You're good at boxing, when you're not trying to teach a lesson on blame. Perhaps you could coach boxing."

He turned back to the viewscreen and sighed. "I don't know."

"The end of a career isn't easy for anyone. You think resigning has been easy for me?" she remarked, hooking one of her arms in his.

It was his turn to smirk. "You didn't really resign. They kept you on as a consultant."

"Semantics. I do know of a job though that only you could do." She unlinked her arm from his and sought out his hand. Then she placed his hand on her abdomen as the baby kicked. "Only you can have the job of being a father to our child."

He pulled her close to him for a hug. "I don't know if I'll be any good at that one."

She moved back enough to see his face, her eyes catching his. "I do. You're going to help her take her first steps. You're going to scold her the first time she climbs something taller than she can jump down from, but you'll carry her down anyway. The one and only time she sneaks out, you'll ground her for a month and she'll never do it again for fear of disappointing you. The first time she brings home a boyfriend, you'll give her the third degree because you're her father, and she'll protest, but she'll grow up knowing that you love her very much."

"Have you been dreaming about that too?" he inquired.

Shaking her head, she kissed him softly. "Nope. Some things I just know, and I know that you will be a terrific father."

A month later Bill and Laura received a call from the planet. Saul and Caprica wanted to visit. "What do you think?" Bill asked Laura.

"Tell him to go ahead. Either they have something to say that can't be said over the radio, or something else important has come up," she reasoned. He agreed and told Saul that they would meet them at the docking bay.

An hour later Bill and Laura stood on the deck as the Raptor's door opened. "Permission to come aboard?" the familiar voice asked.

"Permission granted," Bill responded. As his XO stepped off, he smiled. "It's good to see you, Saul."

"You too, Bill," Saul replied.

Laura greeted Caprica and the baby, then the group made their way to Saul's quarters to drop off their duffle bags and the baby's things. "I suppose you both are curious as to what we're doing here," Caprica began.

"I was going to let you get settled in before I asked," Laura mentioned.

Caprica smiled over at Saul, who spoke next. "Bill, Caprica and I want you to marry us, here on Galactica."

The admiral smiled genuinely at the colonel. "I'd be honored, old friend."

"When were you planning on doing this?" Laura inquired.

"After lunch," Caprica answered as Mina began to make noises. She reached over to the bag in search of a bottle.

"I should update you on a few things before we do the ceremony anyway," Saul stated.

They cooked algae patties for lunch and resumed the conversation, with Laura and Caprica sitting on Bill's couch with little Mina while the men took two chairs. "So how are things on the surface?" Laura inquired.

"The broadcasts caused a hell of a stir. It's a good thing you two left when you did. The people want to split into two groups: those who are willing to work with Cylons, and those who want only pure humans," Saul relayed.

"Why do they have to keep making things difficult? We're going to need each other for survival," Bill grumbled.

Laura sighed. "It was naïve of us to think that everything would be solved if the Quorum still looked up to me."

After hearing updates on fleet supplies and construction status for the buildings, they group headed to the Observation Deck. Then Bill began the ceremony with Saul and Caprica standing in front of him while Laura sat in one of the blue seats, holding Mina. Saul placed the ring on Caprica's finger, both of them having opted out of the hand-fasting portion of the ceremony.

"Do you, Colonel Saul Tigh, take this woman to be your wife, through joy and trials, harvest and famine, prosperity and poverty, health and illness, for as long as life allows?" Bill asked, recalling the words of his own wedding.

"I do," Saul answered.

"Good," Bill responded. Then he turned to the blonde woman. "Do you, Caprica, take this man to be your husband, through joy and trials, harvest and famine, prosperity and poverty, health and illness, for as long as life allows?"

"I do," she said confidently.

"May you look to the future as you care for each other, and your child. May you both prosper. You may now kiss the bride," Bill ended.

Saul and Caprica Tigh kissed. Then Caprica walked over to Laura and picked Mina up. "Thank you for watching her."

Laura glanced at Bill before speaking again. "You know, we could watch her for the night if you'd like. You two probably haven't had a night alone for a while, plus I need the practice."

Caprica considered the offer for a moment, then smiled back. "Thank you. That's very kind of you. Are you sure you won't mind?"

"I'd be happy to look after her," Laura replied.

"Then it's settled. We'll bring her by in about an hour," Caprica said, heading toward the door with Saul.

Bill and Laura followed them out before both couples headed toward their own quarters. He grabbed a few blankets and set them on the couch, planning to give Laura and Mina the bed. As he rearranged the cushions, Laura sank down into the desk chair, resting her head in her hands. He glanced at her. "You okay?"

She shook her head. "The people are dividing and it's my fault. I'm supposed to be the one uniting them!"

He walked over to her and placed a hand on her back. "It would've happened sooner or later. We knew the alliance between our people and the Cylons was fragile."

"You're right. Orders or no orders, we can't expect enemies to simply shake hands and be friends. There has got to be a better way. Somehow I've missed something," she suggested.

Bill considered his next words carefully. "Maybe it's time that you let someone else try to fix this. Maybe it's time you stepped down."

"No. I have to be the one to fix this," she argued.

"You said the dream changed. Maybe you've done everything that you're supposed to do," he persuaded.

She was about to answer when they heard a knock at the hatch. Laura opened it to find Caprica holding the baby. "Her bag is on my shoulder," Caprica commented, handing the baby to Laura. Then she set the bag down on the floor. "Thank you so much for doing this."

"It's really no problem. Like I said, I could use the practice," Laura remarked.

"You'll definitely get practice. She doesn't sleep all night yet. She likes late night feedings. Her bottles are in the bag, and so are her diapers," Caprica mentioned.

"Thank you. I believe I can handle it from here," Laura stated.

As soon as Caprica left and the door was shut, the baby began to squirm in Laura's arms. Bill watched as she sat down on the couch with the baby. "You do realize that we're probably in over our heads with this idea."

"It's only for one night, Bill. How bad could it be?" Laura inquired.

Baby Mina not only needed to be fed twice during the night, she also wanted a diaper change. As Laura rested in the rack after changing Mina, Bill walked over to her, handing her a glass of water. "Thank you," she responded. Then she locked eyes with him. "Go ahead and say it."

He smirked. "Now why would a do a thing like that?

She rolled her eyes. "Because I know you want to."

"I told you so," he said, returning to the couch.

Caprica and Saul arrived early the next morning to retrieve their daughter. "I hope she behaved herself," Caprica commented, holding the baby as Saul took the bag with the baby's supplies.

"Oh, she was no trouble at all," Laura stated with a smile. Bill snorted, as if to contradict her, causing all of them to laugh.

He and Laura returned to the planet with Saul, Caprica, and the baby, deciding to see what could be done to help their people. Bill and Laura had hardly been in their house ten minutes when someone knocked at the door. "I'll get it," Bill told her, heading toward the door.

She sank into the couch. "Tell whoever it is that I'll deal with it later. We just got home."

Turning the knob, he opened the door to find a man of average height with black hair and a thick black beard, wearing a standard Colonial shirt with what appeared to be what the Terrans called 'jeans.' "Can I help you?"

"Forgive the intrusion, Admiral. I need to speak with the president," the man replied.

"She's not the president anymore," Bill mentioned.

The man would not be deterred. "She's the president the subject matter that I need to discuss with her."

"Fine. Come in," Bill acquiesced.

The two men walked over to Laura, who was still seated on the couch. "Madame President, I'm sorry to intrude. I'm Thomas Farrows. I know you haven't heard of me. I've been on the Geminon Traveler."

She shook his hand. "Mr. Farrows, as the admiral has mentioned, I'm no longer president."

"The people will always see you as president. But I didn't come here to discuss politics. Are you aware of the split between humans and Cylon supporters?" he asked.

"Yes. I am not sure what should be done about it though," she admitted.

"I've come to see you because I have an idea. What if we had a debate between the two sides? There would, of course, be a moderator. Both sides could express their opinions, and maybe come to a compromise," he proposed.

Laura considered the suggestion, folding her hands in her lap. "It's an interesting idea. Do you mind if I ask what stake you have in this?"

"I only want people to see how tied together we all are," Farrows answered.

She turned her gaze to Bill. "I think it's a reasonable suggestion. It would let people feel like their feelings matter and that citizens have some importance."

Then she faced Farrows again. "Would you like to be the one to organize the debate, Mr. Farrows?"

"That would be fine," he replied.

As he left, Laura looked back to Bill. "He wasn't telling us everything."

Bill put a hand on her shoulder. "That's why I'll be looking into every detail of his background that I can fine. He has to have a reason for just showing up at our door."

(A/N; I'm so sorry this took such a long time to post. I've been rather busy. My thanks to carolann, Whas'up, and McGonagallFan for reviewing :D)