A Measure of Salvation
[A/N; this chapter doesn't focus an awful lot on the actual events of 'A Measure of Salvation', especially after the last chapter. You may find that this might happen on several occasions throughout this fanfiction. I hope you all don't mind. Yes, this chapter is pretty fluffy, I do apologise in advanced. This is also the longest chapter so far at over 4,300 words, so I've tried to divide it up as best I could. Reviews are loved, I'll even give you a virtual hug and a cookie. ]
There never seemed too be a dull moment in Laura's life.
No sooner had she began to settle into her second term as President, than an outbreak of a mysterious illness hits a cylon baseship with several dozen Galactica crew possibly contaminated. It seemed Pandora was unwillingly seeing more of the Galactica daycare than Colonial One these days. It had only taken a simple promise of seeing Bill later that coaxed Pandora into going to the daycare. On the journey towards the Admiral's quarters, Laura turned to look at Tori.
"It's typical isn't it? The one day I have little too do, and the cylons decide to cause more chaos" Laura said, sighing with exhaustion, rolling her eyes to the highest heavens as she headed down the busy hallways of Galactica. She had hoped for at least an hour or two to catch up on the sleep that she had been deprived of on New Caprica; now she wanted nothing more than to sleep in her cot on Colonial One as if she didn't have a care in the world. A girl could dream.
"That's always the way, Madame President" Tori replied, nodding her head at the woman as they arrived at the door of the Admiral's quarters. Turning on her heel, Laura moved to face her younger assistant once more"Check on Pandora for me, if you get a chance" She requested, knowing that the girl wasn't comfortable around other children - or even adults for that matter. The last time she had left Pandora in the daycare, Laura had returned to find the girl sitting alone clutching her elephant in one arm and her blanket in another as she sat herself against the very corner of the stone gray wall of the daycare. "Of course" Tori said, watching as the President helped herself into the Admiral's quarters before she herself headed back down the hallway.
It seemed Laura was the last to arrive at the meeting. Sitting herself down on the low armchair, she listened as Lee, Bill, Cottle and Helo spoke about the possibility of a vaccination. She hated to admit it, but she agreed with Lee. Why should they give the cylons a vaccine? Would they have done the same if the roles were reversed? She doubted it. They were their immortal enemy; who killed countless hundreds of millions of human beings for no apparent reason and continued to chase what little remained of the species. It wouldn't be genocide; it would be a punishment. A justifiable punishment brought on as a result of the unforgivable crimes that the cylons had committed against the human race. Would their death not be justice? Justice for the billions of lives lost at their hands?
However, the idea of using the vaccination as bait to gather information from the prisoners seemed like a more helpful option. After all, they had to find out exactly how the cylons seemed to always be one step ahead of them on the pathway to Earth. Finding Earth was more important than punishing the cylons; at that moment anyway. When the group ultimately came to the decision of providing a vaccination, Laura had decided that it was the most functional way of them retrieving information from the cylons.
Laura stayed in her seat as Lee and Helo left the room in deep conversation with Cottle. "Come on" Bill announced as he lifted himself up from his own seat, looking down at Laura as he spoke. While Bill had the fortune of not having experienced the horrors of New Caprica, he could imagine the pain that Laura had went through at the hands of the cylons. How she had seen the untold pain and misery that the creatures had handed down to the unfortunate souls on New Caprica. Laura had ever reason to not want to give the cylons the vaccination, but it showed her desperate need to find Earth. To be the prophet who led the way to Earth. Their new home.
Raising herself from her seat, Laura fixed the creases in her skirt before following the Admiral out of his quarters. The pair walked down the hallway in silence, both deep in their own thoughts. It was Laura who spoke first, breaking the comfortable silence. "I'm worried about Pandora" She admitted, folding her arms over as she walked in step with the man beside her. As a former teacher, Laura had her fair share of experience with young children, but it was unusual for someone so young to have what appeared to be social anxiety. "She doesn't trust anyone - except the two of us of course - and the only reason I managed to get her to the day care was because I promised I'd take her to see you after" Laura confessed, her hand coming to brush the back of her neck as she took a deep breath, shutting her eyes for a short moment. Pandora's behavior was not just some 'shy stage' that the girl was going through, and Cottle couldn't find any reasonable explanation for her behavior; no trauma, no apparent injuries and a full bill of health.
"Would you really want to know if she had went through some sort of trauma?" Bill asked, knowing that he himself wouldn't have been able to take such news. Even just the idea of something happening to Pandora was enough to make his blood boil. If faced with the realisation that such horror had actually happened to his Pandy, he wasn't sure exactly what he would do.
Laura's eyes dropped to the floor then, something Bill noted that Pandora herself often did. The pair came to a stop just outside of the day care when Laura answered his lingering question. "No. I don't think I could handle it" She admitted, praying to the Lords of Kobol that there was some other reasonable explanation for Pandora's behavior and her apparent memory loss that didn't involve some form of terrible trauma.
"Laura! Bill!" Pandora's joyful cry broke Laura and Bill's conversation as she dashed towards them both, coming to a stop as she wrapped her arms around Bill's legs. In that moment, Laura couldn't imagine the girl as anything else other than a happy, healthy and hopeful child. She couldn't hide the beaming smile that found its way to her thin lips as Bill bent down to scoop the child up as though she was as light as a feather. "Hello Pandy" Bill said, greeting the girl before moving to guide the way down the hallway. By now, it seemed that most of the Galactica crew had gotten used to seeing the trio together and no longer gaped at them as though they were the center piece of a circus act.
As they walked, Pandora wrapped one arm around Bill's neck, resting her head down on his shoulder as she used her other arm to clutch her precious elephant and blanket to her chest. "How was daycare?" Laura asked cautiously, hoping that Pandora had perhaps played with some of the other children. Instead the girl uncharacteristically shook her head and cuddled into Bill's hold, clearly not wanting to talk about it. Again, Laura's eyes diverted to the floor. As curious as she was to find out what had happened to Pandora, Bill was right, the truth could be hard for both of them too face. Perhaps it was better being left in the unknown?
"Dinner?" Pandora asked, looking up at Bill with pleading eyes, hoping that the man had remembered his promise of dinner and a tour of a viper. "I would never dream of forgetting about dinner" Bill said, pretending to be insult at the accusation that he had forgotten about it. His words seemed to calm Pandora, who visibly relaxed at the confirmation that he would in fact be keeping his promise. "She did nothing but talk about dinner this morning" Laura admitted, thinking that Pandora would have exhausted herself eventually after asking every five minutes about how soon it was until dinner.
As they arrived in the hanger deck, Bill spotted the raptor that stood center stage. "Hello"Laura greeted the unfamiliar pilot, no doubt a new recruit, as they arrived at the heavy metal door of the raptor. As Laura stepped up and into the compartment, she put her arms out to take Pandora from Bill. It was only then that the child realised they were about to be separated again. "Bill come too?" Pandora asked, wrapping her arms around Laura's neck as she looked down at Bill as she gripped Laura's blush pink blouse. Looking up at the pair who stood with matching pleading eyes, Bill knew he would never be able to willingly disappoint either of them. There was no harm in leaving Galactica for an hour or so, after all, he and Laura had to work on a strategy on how best to use the vaccine. Cottle had the prisoners under control and it had been confirmed that Lee and the others had not been contaminated by the disease. For once, it seemed they held all the pieces in this constant game of chess.
Stepping up onto the raptor, Bill sat himself down onto the seat nearest the cold grey door as it shut behind him. As she sat in the metal seat beside him, Laura lifted her hand from Pandora's lap and reached out to gently brush her fingers against Bill's closed hands, watching as opened his larger hand to take ahold of hers as he brushed his thumb across her pale knuckles. Pandora turned herself slightly on Laura's knee so that she could rest her head down against the woman's chest while being able to look up at Bill. For the first time since their rescue from New Caprica, Laura felt relaxed, content and at peace. As though she would one day be able to put the horrors of New Caprica too a distant part of her memory.
They were no sooner on board Colonial One before Tori appeared and announced that Lee and Helo had an urgent matter of business to discuss. "You never get a minute to stop" Bill thought aloud, seeing the stress that was building up in Laura. Being a President couldn't be easy. Being an apparent prophet who would guide the people to Earth couldn't be easy. Suddenly being thrust into the role of mother for an abandoned four year old couldn't be easy. Though somehow, Laura seemed to take it all in her stride. "I would rather be kept busy" Laura confessed, if she had time to stop and think then her mind would simply dwell on the past; New Caprica, her apparent role as the 'dying leader' and Gaius frakking Baltar. Three things that had deprived her of sleep more times than she would care too admit.
As Lee and Helo boarded Colonial One, Laura left Pandora on the structure tan sofa with her elephant and cotton blanket, promising that Lee and Helo wouldn't be there for too long.
Lee's plan had been an interesting one, in fact, Laura wasn't sure how she hadn't come up with it herself. If the virus hit the resurrection ship, then the species would be wiped out for good. Their threat forever gone. When Helo mentioned his daughter however, Laura felt a sting of guilt in her heart. She could only imagine his pain and his loss. How would she cope if someone took Pandora from her? In the same way she had taken Hera from Helo and Athena. However, when he attempted to argue that the cylons had attempt to live with them in New Caprica, that guilt quickly disappeared as though it had never been there.
Taking her glasses off and resting her thumb and index figure against the bridge of her nose, she sighed deeply"Pandora's been awfully quiet" Laura said, concern in her voice as she turned around to look down at the sofa. That explained it. Curled up against the arm of the chair was Pandora, her head lay on the armrest while the rest of her body was curled up in a small ball. Deciding it would be best to wake the girl, after all if she slept much longer she would be up half the night. Bending down at the foot of the sofa, Laura reached out to gently stroke Pandora's thin hair. The child's thick eyelashes fluttered for a moment before she reached out to scoop her arms around her beloved plush elephant, holding it tightly against her chest. "Five more minutes"Pandora said, her eyes still shut as she yawned once more, having no intention of leaving the comfortable position she had found herself in.
Having been watching the pair with a content smile, Bill made his presence known once more to the young girl. "I guess we won't be taking a tour of the viper then" He sighed, crossing his ankles as he sat against Laura's desk, looking down at the child who slowly opened her eyes to stare at him. "I'm awake" Pandora announced, all but falling over herself in an attempt to get off the sofa and over to Bill as quickly as possible. Bill allowed the child to take ahold of his hand with her small one, with her clasping onto it for dear life before Pandora reached over and took ahold of Laura's, attempting to drag the adults with her through Colonial One and towards the waiting raptor.
Dinner seemed to be the last thing on Pandora's mind. When safely locked away in Bill's private quarters, Pandora seemed as bubbly as ever. It was a battle to get her to even sit still at the table while Bill came back with the food. "What do you say, Pandora?" Laura reminded the child as she sat down across from her as Bill put the plates down in front of them. "Thank you, Bill" Pandora said proudly, smiling up at the man as she did so. Bill chuckled to himself a little while shaking his head, trust Laura to quickly put manners into Pandora. "The pleasure is all mine" Bill assured as he took his seat at the head of the table between Laura and Pandora.
As Laura lifted her cutlery and began to eat, Pandora tried her best to mimic Laura's actions but failed miserably. Reaching out, Bill took a hold of Pandora's knife and fork, moving to silently cut the girl's food before taking her hand and readjusting the cold fork in her small hand. A picture really could say a thousand word. Laura admired the scene in front of her with a lighthearted smile. It was moments like this that assured her that Bill had no doubt been a dotting father to Lee and Zak, even when he was so often away from home. Everyone deserved a second chance; perhaps Pandora was Bill's second chance at fatherhood?
The dinner table quickly filled with conversation, which drowned out the sound of metal cutlery clicking against the dinner plates. "I met Lee" Pandora announced midway through the dinner, the corners of her mouth rising as she smiled at Bill. "He looks like you" She giggled as she spoke, setting her fork down onto her plate. "Poor Lee then" Laura teased, watching as Bill tried his best to act insulted, putting down his cutlery in mock shock as he rested his elbow on the table and leaned closer to Laura. "Yes, for having too get stuck with my handsome looks" Bill fought back, keeping his eyes dead set on Laura's as he spoke. "Now that is debatable" Laura replied, leaning closer as she rested her arms flat on the table, her eyes narrowing as she looked at him, moving closer.
However, the moment was ended prematurely as the door creaked open. "Bill" Saul stopped dead in his tracks as he inspected the scene in front of him. Laura and Bill leaned only inches apart from each other's faces, gazing into the others eyes as Pandora sat with eyes wide open. He suddenly felt like an outsider to the little world that the trio seemed to have created for themselves. "Uncle Saul!" Pandora cried happily, moving to wave her pale hand at the man. The adults pulled their eyes away from each other too gaze at the man who looked like a cat caught in the blinding headlights of a car. Laura could only imagine what the scene must have looked like.
"Saul" It was Bill who spoke first, standing up from the table as Saul took a small step back. "I'll speak to you later Bill" The man said, looking from his long term friend to the child at the table. "Goodnight, kid" Saul nodded his head before exiting the room quickly, leaving the trio alone once more. "What's wrong with Uncle Saul?" Pandora asked, concern and fear evident in her voice as she gazed at Laura and Bill with worried eyes. "He's just not feeling great the minute" Laura said, hoping to calm Pandora's fears by sugar coating the truth. Reaching out, she took ahold of the girl's hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Maybe I should draw him a picture!" The child exclaimed, as the lightbulb went on in her head. That would certainly cheer Saul up, wouldn't it?
Bill couldn't help but notice how quick Pandora was to worry about Saul; just as he imagined Laura would have in the same position. What shocked him most was that the pair weren't actually related, especially with the stark similarities between the pairs. Although, he remembered reading how adoptive children could quickly pick up the traits of their adoptive parents. Perhaps that explained it all? "How about some chocolate?" Bill suggested, disappearing into his study before returning with two sealed bars of chocolate. Handing them both to Laura, he watched as the older woman opened one of the bars before splitting it in half, handing one half over to the impatiently waiting Pandora. "Half of it now and you can have the other half later" She assured the child, who took small pieces of her chocolate bar before standing up on her chair, putting her arms out for Bill who moved to pick her up and place her on his knee.
"Viper?" Pandora begged, hoping that the man hadn't forgotten about the second half of his promise. Looking down at his battered black leather watch, Bill nodded his head. "You'll have to ask Laura first" Bill compromised, suddenly feeling that the father who constantly told his child to ask their mother about things. "Can I? Can I? Can I?" Pandora begged, all but jumping up and down on Bill's knee as she folded her hands together. Laura sighed to herself then, could she really deny Pandora anything? "Okay" She agreed, watching as Pandora slipped from Bill's knee and began skipping towards the door, giggling to herself as she went along. Bill was quick too follow her though, the pair disappearing out the door and towards the hanger deck.
Laura trailed behind the pair, deep in thought as she walked through Galactica. By the time she arrived in the hanger deck, both Bill and Pandora were already in the viper. Pandora sat on top of Bill's knees, attempting to work the controls as Bill moved her from left to right as though she was really flying the viper. The sound of Pandora's carefree laughter - and Bill's occasional joining in - felt like music to Laura's ears. If only she had a camera. Walking up towards the viper, she listened as Bill attempted to explain each of the controls to Pandora, watching as she mimicked his actions. Had Bill taught Lee and Zak how to work a viper?
"We have a mini viper pilot on our hands" Bill announced, not even noticing his use of the inclusive pronoun 'our' as he beamed down at Pandora, his arms wrapped protectively around the child's waist. Laura watched the pair as she walked up the steps to the open top of the viper, seating herself on the top step nearest Pandora and Bill. No doubt Bill had just caused a lifetime obsession for Pandora. Though Laura prayed that by the time they found Earth, Pandora would never have to experience the chaos of flying a real viper plane. She knew that Bill worried enough about Kara and Lee when the flew, the last thing he needed was to one day add Pandora too that list.
Pandora turned around to look at Laura then. "Like Kara and Lee!" She thought aloud happily, playing away with the various buttons and controls in the cockpit of the viper as though it was the most natural thing in the world. "She's a natural" Laura admitted, catching Bill's eyes for a moment, the corner of her lips turning up in a smile before she returned to watching Pandora. The day's events seemed to have exhausted the poor child, who could hardly keep her eyes opened as she moved her small hands up to rub them as she slouched on Bill's knee before yawning loudly.
Laura stood up then, reaching into the cockpit to help Pandora out. "It looks like our viper pilot needs a good night's sleep" She revealed to Pandora, who went to protest as she stood on the top step, but her pleads were drowned out by another yawn. As Laura held the child's hand and escorted her down the steps, Bill quickly followed behind them, stopping as he arrived at the bottom one. Without even having to be asked, the man bent down to pick up the child, allowing Pandora to comfortably rest her head down on his shoulder, using it as a pillow, and lock her arms around his neck. Reaching up, Laura slipped the blanket and elephant between Pandora's chest and Bill's shoulder, watching as the child snuggled into the objects.
By the time they had walked from the viper to the nearby raptor. Pandora had fallen into the land of dreams; peacefully asleep on Bill's shoulder. "I think you wore her out" Laura said in a soft whisper, not wanting to wake the child up from her slumber. "At least you can be sure that she'll sleep the entire night" Bill offered, wondering if Pandora was the sort of child to sleep through the night or wake up as four in the morning and demand entrance into their parent's bed like Zak and Lee had at that age. "That is always a relief" Laura confessed, hoping that perhaps both she and Pandora would get some much needed sleep.
As he boarded the familiar raptor, Bill considered leaving the child in the back seat before quickly changing his mind. As Laura moved towards the front and sat herself down in the passenger seat, Bill carefully lowered Pandora into her arms, hoping to keep the girl in her state of deep sleep. With the child out of his arms, Bill powered up the engine of the raptor before sitting himself down in the pilot's seat. "I've never heard of the admiral piloting a raptor" Laura teased with a raised eyebrow, leaning her head back against the seat as she turned her head to look at him. "There's plenty of things you don't know about me Laura" Bill informed her as he powered up the raptor, effortlessly guiding it out of Galactica and towards Colonial One.
"Thank you" Laura announced as they arrived back at Colonial One, the pair departing the raptor and boarding the Presidential vessel. "For everything" She said, leaning in to place a soft kiss on the man's harsh cheek, careful not to wake Pandora as she did so. "The pleasure was all mine"Bill confessed, knowing there was nothing he would rather do than spend time with Pandora and Laura. Acting as though neither of them had a care in the universe, as though they were the leaders of the last remaining humans on a mission to find Earth. With Laura proclaimed as the dying leader who will guide the people to Earth. Though it seemed the woman had found herself yet another role.
Walking through the compartment, Laura guided the way towards Pandora's makeshift cot. Bill slowly lowered the girl down into the bed, lifting her hands from around his neck before pulling up the blankets and tucking the girl in for the night. Laura doubted she had ever seen such peaceful a sight.
Finding Earth was their number one priority. Bill was right, they had to get rid of the cylons, one way or another. Laura was a generally forgiving person, but what the cylons had done...it was unforgivable. In Caprica, they would have been handed a death sentence without a second thought, why should it be different now?
The sun will rise on their faces someday. Laura had to believe in that. The prophet had to guide the people to Earth.
As a President, a supposed prophet and now a parent, Laura had to find Earth.
She had no other choice.