Laura laughs as she chases the boys through the corridor, their peels of laughter echoing the empty Galactica halls. She snatches both of them up by the back of their overalls as she catches up to them before settling one on each hip as she walks into the CIC. She sets Alex on the console as she keeps a hold on Liam, pressing a kiss to Bill's lips.
"Anything I can bring you back?" Laura inquires as Bill takes Liam, setting him next to his brother.
"I don't think so," Bill comments with a smile, kissing Laura again. She takes a moment to indulge in his lips before pulling back with a smile.
"Ror and I should be back by dinner, and maybe bedtime could come a little early tonight?" Laura murmurs quietly as she hooks a finger in his tunic, her eyes widening suggestively at him.
"I think an early bed time sounds very doable. These nuggets will just have to take some laps with their old man."
"Good," Laura says before pressing one more kiss to Bill's lips, "I love you."
"I love you too. I'll see you later."
"Buh bye!" Alex calls out. Laura smiles and presses a kiss to each of their cheeks.
"Mama will be back later okay? Don't drive Papa too crazy," Laura winks at Bill before leaving the CIC, stopping back by their quarters to pick up Aurora. The two make their way towards the flight deck and climb into a raptor with a few other soldiers that were going on a shore leave.
"We just have to stop by the school first and then we'll have the rest of the day okay?" Laura assures her daughter as she makes sure she's buckled in. Aurora nods with a smile, excited at the prospect of having a day alone on New Caprica with her mother.
Laura clutches Aurora's back to her with a firm hand wrapped around her shoulders as she watches the cylons descend on New Caprica, everyones eyes locked on the sky. Aurora looks up at her with a worried look in her eyes.
"We need to go find your brother," Laura whispers, pulling Aurora through the school tent and out the other side, trying to remember how to find Zak and Kara's tent.
"Where's Dad?" Aurora inquires as they walk the muddy paths of the settlement.
"If he has any sense he left with Lee," Laura tells Aurora, shoving her into the familiar tent once they find it.
"Laura! What the frak are you doing here? Where are the boys? Where's Dad?" Zak asks, pulling the redhead into a hug before wrapping an arm around Aurora.
"Aurora and I came down for the day. I left the boys with your dad..." Laura explains, a quake to her voice, "He jumped away right? Please tell me he jumped away."
"Let me see what I can find out," Zak says, letting Aurora go before grabbing a radio he had and trying to get more information, "You didn't see Kar did you?"
"No. Not on our way over here, where was she?"
"Down at the market," Zak comments, before listening to the transmission he was getting back, "Before the Dradis was scrambled, Galactica and Pegasus jumped along with the remaining orbiting fleet."
"He's coming back right?" Aurora asks, tugging on Laura's sweater. Laura locks eyes with Zak before looking down at Aurora.
"Of course, Dad always comes back remember?" Laura assures her daughter, stroking her cheek gently. Aurora nods and buries her face into Laura's stomach. Laura wraps her arms around Aurora, looking at Zak with desperation.
Laura listens quietly to the hum of the centurions walking past the tents, on patrol. They had been stranded on New Caprica with the cylons for almost three and a half months, and the sound of their mechanical legs passing by the tent never ceased to put a knot of unease in her stomach. She looks down as Aurora rolls over in their cot, staying nestled between her mother and the wall of the tent.
They had devised a resistance movement. Something to keep the cylons at bay until Galactica was able to come back for them. Laura and Aurora stayed with Zak after the invasion. Kara had been taken, and they had been taking care to keep Aurora out of the cylons eyes lest she be used as a bargaining chip against them.
Laura's ears perk up as she hears a unit of centurions stop, listening closely to determine what was going on before letting out a cry as she feels herself dragged out of bed and masked before being carried out of the tent. She struggles in her captor's grasp as Aurora screams after her. She manages to get out a yell for Zak before she's clubbed over the head and knocked out.
18 days. It had been 18 days since she had last seen Aurora. Since she had been dragged out of her bed and knocked out before being interred in the cylon detention facility. And now she was on a truck to god knows where to probably be shot.
Laura winces as the bag over her head is torn off, exposing her eyes to the bright sunlight. Figures her last day on this miserable planet it would be sunny. She fares a glance at Tom Zarek as they are shoved down to their knees.
"Guess we've worn out our welcome," Laura comments quietly.
"Guess so," Tom replies, looking over at the woman to his left, "Should have let you steal the election."
"Hindsight," Laura replies. Her eyes close as she feels the cool barrel of a rifle press against the back of her head. She takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly, attempting to accept her fate yet only hearing her daughter's screams ring in her ears.
Shots ring out across the flats and Laura's eyes snap open as the world goes sideways, the handler of the gun that had been pressed against her head slumping down against her body, trapping her in the dust. She tries to fight off the body as best she can before she's freed by Tyrol.
"Chief, thank gods," Laura comments as he lifts her off the ground before cutting her binds, "What's going on?"
"We're going home," Tyrol directs her, grabbing her arm before dragging her back towards the settlement, "The Old Man's coming back now."
Laura picks up her speed, jogging at pace behind the Chief as he runs point on their group. Once they get back to the settlement, all hell had broken loose. The centurions, cylon, and NCPD were attempting to quell the uprising of people trying to get back to their grounded fleet ships.
"Jumper, you stay on her!" Tyrol commands as Laura takes off for Colonial One, picking off a couple centurions before the ships start spooling their FTLs and jumping away one by one as they are filled to the brim with escaping citizens. Laura gravitates into the cockpit as they linger, letting as many people load on as possible.
"Once we get to the rendezvous, we need to dock on Galactica as soon as possible," Laura commands as her hands dig into the leather of the captain's seats.
"Of course. We need to leave or we're not going to get out of here."
"Jump!"
Once they manage to dock on Galactica, Laura sprints out to the flight deck. Worried green eyes scan the flight deck, looking for anyone familiar. She spots Zak and takes off through the crowd, shoving people out of the way in an effort to get to him.
"Zak!" Laura calls out, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him away from Kara, "Where is she?"
"Gods Laura..."
"Where is your sister?!" Laura yells, her only concern at the moment being finding Aurora. They would regroup as a family later.
"She's with Dad," Zak points off to the back corner of the deck. Laura manages to keep moving forward, shoving her way through the crowd. She drops down to her knees, immediately bursting in to tears when she sees Aurora nestled on Bill's lap along with the boys. Aurora catches Laura's movement out of the corner of her eye, launching off of Bill's lap and sprinting over to her.
"Mama!" Aurora throws herself into Laura's arms, wrapping her arms tight around her mother's neck. Laura wraps her arms tight around Aurora, squeezing her close.
"Oh thank gods," Laura murmurs, stroking Aurora's hair as her tears soak the little girl's shirt. She pulls back slightly after a moment, pushing Aurora's black locks out of her face, "Are you okay?"
Aurora nods as Laura wipes the tears from both of their faces.
"I am so sorry. I never meant to leave you, I never ever meant to leave you," Laura whispers as she visually checks her daughter over. Aurora nods and wraps her arms back around Laura, hugging her close. Laura kisses her head once more before letting her go in exchange for the boys.
"Hi my sweet boys," Laura croaks out as she gathers them in her arms, "My goodness you've gotten so big."
"Miss you!" Both of the boys echo as Laura holds them close. She presses her lips to each of their heads, inhaling their scents before letting them go and taking Bill's hand to pull herself up. He pulls her directly into his arms, crushing her to his body.
"I prayed for you, every day I prayed you would come back," Laura whispers into his shoulder, a stray sob shaking her body. Bill rubs his hand down her back and presses his lips to hers in a deep kiss, tears mixing across both of their cheeks. The deck quiets as the comm system crackles on.
"Be advised. All ships accounted for. Repeat. All ships accounted for." The entire deck bursts into cheers and Laura laughs as Bill is swept up on the shoulders of Zak and Lee, the cheers turning over to a chant as their Admiral is lifted above them.
"A-DAM-A! A-DAM-A! A-DAM-A! A-DAM-A!" Laura sinks down onto a crate and pulls Aurora between her legs before lifting the boys onto her knees, holding the three of them closes as they watch.
Later that evening the kids were asleep in the rack and Zak, Lee, and Kara had left, leaving Laura and Bill curled up on the couch. Her head was nestled in it's familiar spot on his shoulder, their hands intertwined on his chest.
"I never want to be away from them…ever again. I spent eighteen days away from her, and over a hundred away from the boys…away from you," Laura whispers as she looks up at Bill, breaking the silence.
"Works just fine for me…I'm never letting you out of my sight," Bill tells her, kissing her lips gently, "Seems bad things have a tendency to happen when you go off on your own."
"Seems they do," Laura murmurs, wrapping an arm around him and snuggling close, "But I know this guy who always seems to swoop in and save me at the last minute."
"It's pretty nice of him," Bill comments. Laura lets out a small laugh as she closes her eyes. Bill's hand trails up and down her back, his thumb massaging along her spine, "You know what I'm thinking about?"
"Mmm?" Laura hums quietly.
"Last time we were apart for that long," Bill tells her quietly, "I remember what you were wearing when I left you and when I came back. I remember the smell of your perfume mixed with the Riverwalk. I remember being very surprised when I saw you."
"Seems like another life time," Laura comments, "I can't believe it's been almost…seven years?"
"Just about," Bill agrees. He squeezes Laura after a moment, putting his feet back down on the floor, "Come on. Let's go join the kids."
Laura pulls herself out of her husband's grasp, standing up from the couch. She offers him a hand up, gently tugging him back towards the rack. She slides into the bed next to the kids, kissing each of their heads before pulling the blankets up. Bill slides in behind her, wrapping an arm around her waist.
"This rack isn't going to be big enough for the five of us soon."
"For tonight, it works," Laura comments as she covers Bill's arm with her own, her eyes starting to drift closed.
[TBC]
