Laura watches as the water runs slowly over her hands as she washes them, practically feeling the creatures slithering over her hands again. She closes her eyes against the pounding in her head, twisting the water off and drying her hands. She jumps when the lights in the head turn on and she feels a pair of hands slide around her waist.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you heard me come in," Bill says as he kisses her shoulder.
"It's okay, I was…lost in thought," Laura tells him with a strained smile in the mirror.
"You okay?"
"Yeah, fine," Laura assures him, leaning back into his embrace. Bill's arms slip further around her waist, holding her close and rubbing his hands over her stomach. Laura closes her eyes, enjoying the moment before she turns her head and presses a kiss to his cheek, "Have you ever read the scrolls of Pythia?"
"Mmm, I think maybe once when I was a kid, why?"
"I was just talking about it with someone earlier," Laura shrugs it off with a shake of her head. Bill's hands slip under her shirt, teasing her skin.
"Have time for a shower?" Bill murmurs as he presses his lips to her neck and his hips into hers.
"For you...definitely," Laura hums, turning around in her husband's grasp. Bill waggles his eyebrows at her before releasing her to turn the water on.
"Mama, can I come with today?" Aurora asks as Laura braids her hair. Laura wraps a hair tie around the end and kisses Aurora's head as she stands.
"Not today, honey. I'll take you over after the Quorum is over next week. We can take a picnic and spend a whole afternoon there," Laura explains as she slips her shoes on. Aurora huffs and grabs her little knapsack, slinging it onto her back, "Marcus is going to take you to school and I will be here when you're done for the day."
"Okay," Aurora grumbles. Laura squats down and kisses her daughter's nose with a smile.
"I love you."
"I love you too," Aurora replies before smiling. Laura stands and walks Aurora out of their quarters, entrusting her to a marine that was waiting outside.
"Thank you."
"No problem, Madame President," Laura watches her daughter go before going back inside and grabbing her things. She meets Lee and Kara in the hallway when she comes out, smiling at both of them before starting to follow them to the flight deck.
"I'm assuming that you two are my personal goon squad?"
"On the orders of the Commander," Kara says as she slides down the steps to the deck. Laura rolls her eyes and climbs down carefully, striding towards the raptor waiting to transport them. Lee drops down after her and takes the flight check list from one of the deck crew.
"You know that there is the potential for violence," Lee explains as he starts to check things off, "People don't…"
"People don't like me. I know, gods knows Tom Zarek isn't making that any better," Laura responds as she climbs into the raptor.
"Happy Colonial Day," Laura murmurs as she sidles up to her husband.
"Happy Colonial Day, Madame President," Bill says, casting a sidelong glance in her direction.
"I am very tired of being Madame President today, Bill," Laura tells him, "I'd like to wash my hands of the Quorum and my Vice President and enjoy the festivities with my husband. Besides we've always had fun on Colonial Day."
"We have," Bill concedes with a smile, thinking of the many Colonial Day balls they had spent together, "Would you care to dance?"
"I think I would," Laura smiles, taking her husband's offered arm and following him to the dance floor. Laura wraps an expert arm around his shoulder as her other hand rests in his. They easily fall into sync, swaying back and forth across the floor to the jazzy number, "It's good to see everyone letting their hair down. They deserve it."
"They do," Bill agrees, resting his cheek against the top of her head as they move. His eyes sweep around the room, finding Zak and Kara in the corner half dancing, half trying to swallow each other while Lee was blushing seven shades of red as he danced with Mona.
"I think Mona is teasing Lee."
"Probably, she loves playing with him," Laura hums as she rests her head against Bill's shoulder, stepping her body slightly closer, "I love dancing with you. We don't do it nearly often enough."
"Not a lot of dancing opportunities in space."
"You should change that," Laura says with a grin.
"Dance breaks every hour," Bill says with a chuckle. Laura giggles and squeezes his shoulder as she buries her face in it. Bill presses a kiss to her temple, his hand sliding a little lower, "How have you been feeling? I feel like I never see you."
"You see me plenty. You're seeing me right now," Laura reminds him with a teasing lilt to her voice.
"We don't ever seem to pick a good time to do this," Bill gruffs in her ear, "I missed six months of your pregnancy with Aurora...sometimes I feel like I only see you when I wake up and go to bed."
"We're busy," Laura replies quietly.
"I know," Bill nods, "So, how are you feeling?"
"Good. I'm huge already, but I feel good," Laura answers honestly, "Everything seems to be going great. I had a quick appointment when I got back tonight."
"Tell me when you have appointments."
"I don't want to pull you away any more than I have to," Laura tells Bill as she looks up at him.
"I want to be there for you," Bill tells her as he stops moving, "You didn't want to lose me. I don't want to lose you. You don't have to keep this stuff from me."
Laura steps back and keeps a hold on Bill's hand, her eyes scanning around the room before focusing back on him.
"Let's take a walk," Laura says, pulling him towards the exit. Bill follows her, nodding to a couple people along the way. Once they're in the corridor Laura loops her arm through Bill's and sets a leisurely pace as they walk.
"We are healthy, everything is going fine, if there was an issue I would make sure you were called," Laura explains, "We've done all this before. I know you weren't there for much but you were there for the important parts. And it's important that you are available if you need to be available."
"Is that the President talking?"
"No, that's me talking as a mother in the fleet that Galactica protects," Laura tells him, casting a glance in his direction. She turns them down a hallway, resting her head on his shoulder, "You are our protector, Bill. I don't want to get in the way of that."
"You're not."
"And I'm going to keep it that way," Laura says as she walks Bill into Life Station, greeting the nurse that was working, "But you're free now."
"I am?"
"You are," Laura assures him, following the nurse to a cordoned off area, hopping onto the table. She unbuttons the first few buttons on the bottom of her shirt before laying back. She pulls up the camisole underneath, exposing her stomach. Bill rests a hand on her stomach reverently, stroking gently with his thumb.
"Told you, huge," Laura smiles and winks at him before pulling his hand away and threading her fingers with his. The nurse squirts a blob of gel on Laura's stomach before turning the ultrasound machine on and moving the wand to spread the clear liquid around. She turns the screen towards Bill and Laura, letting the redhead point things out to him.
"Head, spine, legs, arms…all the usual stuff," Laura smiles at Bill, letting him gaze for a moment, "That is our baby. Perfectly healthy."
"Yeah?" Bill asks, continuing to watch in wonder.
"Mmhm," Laura smiles before nodding at the nurse. The nurse moves the wand to the other side of Laura's stomach, searching for a moment before pausing her movements.
"What's…" Bill asks as he watches the screen.
"That is our other baby," Laura says, grinning up at her husband.
"There's two of them?"
"Mmhm, two more giant Aerilon melon heads," Laura jokes.
"We're gonna have two more babies?"
"We are," Laura assures him. The nurse turns the machine off and offers Laura a couple tissues before leaving the couple alone. Laura wipes her stomach off and pulls her tank top down before sitting up. Bill stands between her legs, resting his hands on her stomach. She covers his hands with her own, stroking his skin gently with her thumbs.
"I've got this," Laura assures her husband, "We've got this."
"Do we?"
"We do. We will."
"You seem pretty calm about this."
"Oh no, I am very terrified on the inside," Laura assures Bill with a confident tone, "We didn't sign up for one baby, let alone two. But we're gonna have them, and still have to do our jobs, and still have to worry about Aurora, and Lee, and Zak, and Kara…But we'll do it. We have to."
"Have I ever told you how strong you are?"
"Maybe once or twice," Laura smiles. Bill leans down to kiss her, stepping a little closer. The two jump apart at the sound of a rough throat clearing, turning to see an unamused Cottle standing by the open curtain, lit cigarette hanging from his lips.
"You know that's what got you two in this mess?" Laura laughs and drops her head to Bill's chest before standing up.
"Oh I am very aware of what got us in this mess," Laura tosses back as she takes her husband's hand, pulling him out the opposite side of the cordoned off area, calling out a mirthful departure, "Good night Jack."
[TBC]
