CHAPTER 4

Kara was helping her mother put breakfast dishes into the dishwasher. It was the morning after their dinner with Lee and the admiral. Laura's ankle was better. Bill had made sure that she kept it elevated and iced during dinner. The little alcove that their table was situated in gave them privacy and plenty of room to maneuver. The mood of the remainder of the evening had oddly improved after Laura's near-accident. Nothing like a brush with death to give everyone perspective. Laura laughed with morbid humor as she dried off the inside of a bowl that had turned over inside the dishwasher and was still wet, before placing it in the cupboard.

"What are you giggling about?" Kara asked, teasingly nudging her mother with her elbow.

"I was just thinking about how crazy Bill must think I am for trying to detain that drunk last night. He doesn't know about your grandfather and your aunts, does he?"

"I don't think so," said Kara. "Lee knows but I never mentioned it to the Old Man."

"You know," Laura smiled ruefully, "I hope that you never ever refer to me as 'the Old Woman.'"

"It's a term of endearment," Kara assured her.

"Mmmmm," Laura hummed in a tone of disapproval. "Nevertheless."

Kara was putting the orange juice back in the refrigerator when she noticed an appointment card attached to the freezer with a magnet for Laura's oncologist. Kara stopped in her tracks.

"Are you all right?" she asked her mother.

"What?" Laura turned her head around.

Kara motioned with her head toward the little card.

Laura turned back to the dishwasher. "Oh, that. Everything's fine, honey."

"Mom, look at me."

After the deaths of her father and her sisters, Laura had fallen into a deep depression. She had lost weight rapidly and she kept missing important appointments, like her mammogram. It was only because of Kara's repeated reminders that she had finally gone for the screening. They had caught the cancer just before it had metastasized but Laura had had to undergo several courses of painful treatments and drug therapy before she was in the clear. Kara had probably saved her life, one of the many ways in which her daughter had been such a gift.

Laura turned to face Kara. "It's an annual follow-up – "

Kara forcefully pulled her mother into a tight embrace. "Oh, Kara…."

"Swear it." Kara prompted her, against her hair.

"I promise," said Laura. She squeezed her daughter.

Kara released her. "You need to tell me these things." Her voice was thick with emotion.

"Kara, I told you. If I get any kind of significant health news, I will tell you." Laura had not been forthcoming when she had been diagnosed with cancer. Kara was away for training and school and she hadn't wanted to burden her. When she had found out that her mother had been keeping her illness a secret, Kara had been livid. She had come home on an unanticipated leave to surprise her mother, only to find her pale, thin, and losing her trademark red hair from the radiation treatments. It had been a terrible shock and Kara could not readily forget it.

"You can't ever do that to me again," added Kara fiercely. "You can't."

"I won't. I promise. This appointment is a good thing. I'm still cancer free. Dr. Corel is so pleased, in fact, with my recovery, that he wants to use my case in a study – which is why I have the appointment."

Kara frowned. "All right. I just worry."

"I'm fine." Laura exhaled. She grabbed a sponge and began wiping down the counter.

Kara watched her mother continue her cleaning. When she spoke again, it was with a lighter tone. "You'd better be. Admiral Adama is going to be living in Caprica after he retires. I'll send him on reconnaissance missions to give me regular reports on your welfare."

Laura rolled her eyes. "Aren't I supposed to be the parent here? Shouldn't I be checking up on you?" She began scrubbing the kitchen counter feverishly at the mention of Bill.

Kara eyed her mother's sudden vigorous attention to the cleanliness of the countertop with an amused look. "You know, they do say opposites attract…"

"I am absolutely not attracted to the admiral," Laura assured her daughter as her forceful push on the sponge caused it to pop upward and hit her in the forehead. "He's not my type. Besides, divorced people that wear their wedding rings are clearly not over their previous wives," Laura stated matter-of-factly. She'd already engaged in one messy affair with a married man. She certainly didn't need a divorced one that still had unresolved feelings for his ex-wife.

Kara retrieved the sponge from the sink where it had finally landed. Very slowly, she handed it to her mother, slow enough that she could meet her eyes in the process. "You noticed his wedding ring."

Laura testily grabbed the sponge from Kara and resumed her cleaning, turning away abruptly. "I wasn't looking for it, if that's what you're implying. It was rather hard to miss with his hand clenching a wine glass half the night." Her tone was more accusatory than she had intended.

"For the record," stated Kara as she leaned against the counter, "the admiral can't stand his ex-wife and vice versa. I think the ring is more a gesture of him honoring his family. He's kind of traditional; I think that he would have stayed married just for the sake of Lee and Zak."

"Not exactly a healthy attitude," Laura commented.

Kara shrugged. "I'm just speculating." She smiled widely at her mother. "You could ask him yourself."

Laura playfully flicked her wet fingers at her daughter, sprinkling her with droplets of water. "I think I'll pass."

Richard Adar sipped his tall latte, which had been made with the most expensive coffee in Caprica, topped with frothy foam and dusted with cinnamon. The caffeine had done little to ease his boredom or his preoccupation with Laura. He had been trying to devise a plan all morning to get her alone again, only this time for a longer duration, while Brenner droned on and on about his upcoming schedule. Leaning back in his chair and drumming his fingers against the edge of his mahogany desk, Adar only half-listened.

…"and then on Thursday there's the decommissioning ceremony for Galactica. You can stay overnight on Colonial One and still make your meeting with the Quorum in the morning. You remember Admiral Adama? Laura Roslin's daughter is engaged to his son, Leland."

Adar suddenly snapped to attention.

"She never mentioned that to me," Adara murmured, speaking more to himself than to Brenner.

"Mr. President?"

"I'm sure that a little sojourn on Galactia would pique Ms. Roslin's interest, given her daughter's association with the ship. I'll stay aboard Galactica. Ask Madame Secretary to accompany me."

"The ship is going to be terribly crowded, Mr. President. You and Ms. Roslin would likely be far more comfortable aboard Colonial One."

Richard slid his fingers along the length of his tie, smoothing the already pristine fabric. "Indeed. It would be most inconvenient if Ms. Roslin and I had to share quarters." He looked meaningfully at his personal assistant. "I'm sure that you will be careful to make appropriate arrangements."

Brenner nodded his understanding. "As you wish, Mr. President."

Laura was suspended above a vast field of water, dotted with strange pink flowers with feathered petals, expanding across a wide vista where the sun painted the surrounding landscape in colors of russet and gold. The pink flowers turned into flamingos as the land drew closer to embrace her. Her eyes were so heavy as she fought to keep them open. A voice of gravel and velvet murmured incomprehensible words but she was content merely to listen to the soothing inflection and cadence of the sound, even if the meaning eluded her.

"So much life," she heard herself murmur, the words heavy on her tongue. It was difficult to breathe and yet - she was unafraid.

Laura's alarm clock blared loudly and she woke up from the dream with a start. And as dreams often do, the images faded into static before she could capture even a single one into her memory.

Kara had been completely amused when Laura had called her to inform her that she was going to be attending the decommissioning ceremony for Galactica, accompanied by the president. Laura was neither amused nor enthusiastic. She was given almost no notice whatsoever and had to scramble around last minute trying to get everything that required her attention finished. She was grateful for Billy. He helped her meet her deadlines and even stayed later with her so that she could finish a hefty stack of correspondence before the morning. She had insisted on taking him with her for the journey, although Brenner had given her a hard time.

As Laura descended the ladder that led to the heart of Galactica, she was once again grateful for Billy's expertise. He had tactfully advised her to wear pant suits and now she understood why. He had also recommended practical shoes but there were just some things a lady couldn't relinquish. Attractive shoes were one of Laura's admitted vanities and she refused to traipse around in sensible shoes, no matter how practical.

Bill had expected the President but he had not been informed about Laura until that morning. Her long, wavy red hair was unmistakable and he couldn't help but notice the stilettos - only a few days after her incident with the drunk driver when she had probably sprained her ankle. This Laura was a slightly different creature than the one he'd met at Altura. Sleek in her elegant and expensively tailored suit, she possessed the aura of a practiced politician, gracious and smiling. The cameras loved her. She probably got more press than Adar did. One of the press asked him, Laura, Kara, and Lee to pose for a photo; Kara and Lee's engagement had apparently been made public. Bill found it a bit unnerving and couldn't help wondering if it served some political agenda. He'd never trusted politicians.

Adar seemed to be everywhere Laura was, Bill noted. He hovered. He touched her constantly, nothing inappropriate but the man seemed to always have a hand on her, fingertips brushing against her arm, the flat of his palm on the small of her back. Bill was acutely aware of it. Rumor had it that Richard Adar had a roaming eye and a weakness for beautiful women. He wondered if that included Laura Roslin and he felt a flare of an emotion that he would not dare to name course momentarily through his body.

Laura noticed Bill as soon as she descended onto Galactica's massive decks. The ship was imposing and Bill didn't just command it, he seemed to be a part of it. He seemed so much more military now in his dress blues and Laura could well imagine how intimidating he could be if he so chose. She wondered what kind of a leader he was. Was he fair and just or unyielding and uncompromising? Kara had always spoken so highly of him, with respect, and even affection. Laura attempted to conjure a an image of Bill smiling as he had smiled the night of their dinner with Lee and Kara, but the image just wouldn't come. Bill glanced at Richard and his expression seemed almost - sour. Laura decided that he would make an indomitable ally or a formidable enemy.

She wasn't sure yet which he was to her.