[Well, I'm truly thrown the canon out the nearest airlock. Sorry, not sorry! I'm officially off for summer, so that means I have more time to dedicate to my writing. Any who, this is the longest chapter to date but perhaps my favourite of the lot so far. This chapter also sets us up pretty nicely for the next two chapters which finish off series three of BSG, which if you can't remember, is Baltar's trial]
The Son Also Rises
"What is 'married'?" Pandora wondered aloud, her curious voice filling the Admiral's private quarters, her eyes glazed with wonder and awe. "You're married when..." Laura started to speak but faltered when she started to struggle to explain such a complex subject to a four year old - even one as intelligent as Pandora.
"It's when you promise, in front of the Lords of Kobol, to love someone - you promise to love them for the rest of your life, no matter what happens. It's the sort of love you only get once in lifetime" Bill explained, picking up from where Laura had left off. Laura could feel her lips pulling up into an amused smile. Bill was a true romantic. No matter how much he might try to deny it. He was romantic at heart.
Laura reached her hand out to brush her slender fingertips over Bill's clenched knuckles. It couldn't have been easy losing Kara. Bill loved her; she was the daughter he never had. Pandora idolised her like an older sister. Laura herself had come to care for the pilot, after all, she was a member of the dysfunctional family unit that she and Bill had created.
Now she was gone in the blink of an eye. Bill had been helpless to protect her.
"We have to go to Colonial One today, will you get your bag packed while I get ready?" Laura asked, watching as Pandora chewed the last bite of her toast before leaving the table with a skip to her step. How would they ever explain it all to her? Her cancer. Kara. Death.
"We have to tell her" Bill announced, his fingers lifted the cardboard folder of the personnel file in front of him. "How?" Laura asked, pleading for an answer to the question that had plagued her mind throughout the night. "We have to talk to her" Bill concluded, looking at his fiancee with a somber expression. "I'll do it" Laura offered, knowing Bill couldn't handle having to relive those memories of Kara's death. "Thank you" He breathed, glad that Laura had relieved him of that duty.
Standing from her seat, Laura rested her hand down on the man's tense shoulder and looked down at the contents of the folder. "An interesting read no doubt" Laura joked, hoping to lighten the atmosphere a little as she watched him flick through the pages of Kara's personnel file - it now read like a bittersweet memoir. Squeezing Bill's shoulder one last time, hoping to offer him some form of comfort, Laura slipped out of the room with Pandora tailing behind her.
The raptor ride to Colonial One had been a silent one. Pandora spent most of the time staring out the raptor's windows at the surrounding ship - after all she was a curious child. Laura meanwhile spent the raptor ride attempting to come up with the best and most sensitive method of explaining the grim concept of death to her innocent and blissfully ignorant child. If only she could stay that way. Laura had hoped that she would have been able shield Pandora from the pain of life and the mystery of death for a least a few more years. How would she explain that Kara would never come back? That Kara would never teach her how to fly a viper or how she would never carry her around on her shoulders through the hallways of Galactica. How would she explain to Pandora that she had essentially lost her sister?
Laura mourned for the lost moments and what could have been.
Walking through the compartments of Colonial One, Laura spotted Tori standing at the door to her office. She had forgotten. It had completely left her mind. The selection. Today, she was meant to select the judges for Gaius Baltar's trial. Frak. After the last twenty four hours, Laura craved nothing more than throwing Baltar out of the nearest airlock herself. A woman could always dream.
"Do you have all the names?" Laura inquired as she stepped into her office, both Pandora and Tori trailing behind her. "In here" Tori replied, lifting up the clear glass bowl which was filled with folded parchment. "Will you get the others to come in please?" Laura requested as she settled herself down on the leather chair behind her writing desk.
As Tori went in search of the other staff, Laura turned to look at the child who had settled herself into a comfortable position on the sofa at the corner of the room. The child was content to play with her bright assortment of crayons and parchment. "Are you okay, Pandy?" Laura asked softly, concern lacing her voice as she watched the beaming child continue to work on another one of her drawings. "Of course, Mama" Pandora answered, looking up at her mother with a bewildered expression. Why wouldn't she be okay?
Laura shut her eyes for a moment. How was she ever going to break the news to her? It would kill Pandora. She had never suffered heartbreak or loss before. Her heart was whole and pure. Laura doubted that she had the strength to burst the blissful bubble of happiness that Pandora lived in.
Tori walked back into the office, a small number of personnel coming behind her to witness the selection ceremony. The black haired woman sat the bowl down in front of Lara, allowing the woman to reach inside and select the first name.
Unfolding the piece of parchment, Laura read out the name. "Captain Elias Meeker, Gideon" Setting it aside, she reached in to take the second name, slowly unfolding it before adjusting her glasses. "Captain Andrew Kerr, Aurora" She read before once again selecting another name - the third and final one.
Undoing the folds of the parchment, she began to read out the name. "Admiral -" Her breath caught in the back of her throat as she took a closer look at the name spelt out in thick black text on the crisp white paper. This was the last thing they needed.
"Admiral William Adama - Galactica"She breathed, placing the parchment down flat in front of her. This was the last thing that she needed. The pressure of a trial. The emotional rollercoster they had been forced to endure. Now this.
It was Pandora's voice that broke the silence."Papa?" She asked, slipping off the sofa and walking across to the room to stand beside her mother's desk, looking down at the name staring back at them on the parchment. Resting her hand on Pandora's back, Laura sighed to herself.
When it rained, it poured.
Tori collected the parchment and lifted the bowl with her left arm while shooing the staff out of the room with her other arm, hoping to offer the President some much needed privacy.
"Pandy" Laura began, moving to pick the girl up and place the child on her knee. "I have to tell you something" The President confessed, dropping a gentle kiss on the crown of Pandora's head before continuing. "You know how we age and get older?" She asked, waiting until Pandora nodded before she continued. "Well, we only age for so long until we fall asleep for good"Laura wished that she didn't have to do this alone, but it was too soon for Bill to talk about Kara - too soon for him to relieve the horror and trauma of losing her. "Like sleeping beauty?" Pandora wondered aloud as she played with a strand of her mother's fire kissed hair, curling it around her small finger. "Except, some people fall asleep before they grow old, and they don't wake up again. Pandora..." Laura stopped, tightening her hold of the child as she kissed the crown of her head once more. She could feel the tears threatening to fall from the corner of her eyes.
"Kara's fallen asleep" She whispered, feeling the girl rest her head against her chest as she breathed heavily. "Is she gone, Mama?" Pandora's voice was broken, filled with sadness and mourning for the loss of the blonde viper pilot. Her usual joyful and gleeful voice was filled with despair and grief. Laura could only nod her head in silent confirmation.
The pair sat together, wrapped in each other's arms, surrounded by nothing but the daunting silence that was broken by the occasional sniffle or muffled cry from Pandora. The noise itself was enough to break Laura's heavy heart.
Life wasn't fair.
That was how Bill found them when he arrived on Colonial One. He knew right away that Laura had told Pandora.
As he stepped into the room, Pandora raised her head and sniffled as she silently held her arms out for Bill to take her. "Papa" She muttered as the man gathered her up from her mother's arms and held her close. "I miss Kara" She declared truthfully as she rested her head down on the man's shoulder, shutting her tired eyes for a moment.
Laura knew now more than ever, that she had to fight her cancer. Bill had lost a daughter. Pandora had lost a sister. The last thing they needed was to lose a wife and mother. She had no other choice.
Bill simply nodded his head. While he was relieved that Laura had told Pandora about Kara, he knew it couldn't have been easy for her. He prayed to the Lords of Kobol that he would never have to give the same talk to Pandora; only with Laura as death's unwilling victim and not Kara. If there was any mercy left in the universe, then the Lords of Kobol would spare him of that heavy burden - a cross he doubted he could carry.
"I love you, Papa" Pandora reminded him as she cuddled into his shirt. "I love you too, Pandy" He declared, glancing from his fiancee to the girl in his arms. How many times had he wanted to tell Kara that he cared about her, that she was a central part of his family? He would never get to tell her that.
Laura remained silent throughout the affectionate exchange. They would be fine. The three of them would batter their way through the storm together. "How are you feeing?" Laura asked as she stood from her chair and rounded the Victorian writing desk in order to stand beside the pair. She was worried about Bill. She knew all too well what grief could do to a man. Even one as strong as Bill.
Though she sensed that something else was wrong.
"Someone put an explosive in the viper transporting Baltar's lawyer. The pilots are okay - just a scratch or two - the lawyer on the other hand isn't" Bill revealed, watching as Laura buried her head in her hands with an exasperated look. "Frak" She mumbled under her breath. As if she didn't already have enough to deal with.
By the time the press conference about the accident had wrapped up, it was already past dinner time. Bill watched in displeasure as Laura sat herself down in front of the mountain of paperwork - no doubt trying to settle herself down to a night of signing forms and reading through suggestions from the Quorum. "Come with me" He said, reaching down to pick Pandora's backpack up with one hand while retrieving Laura's leather tote with the other.
"We're going to have dinner with Lee, Saul and Dee" He informed Laura, knowing that the dinner would kill two birds with one stone. Laura needed to relax and they had to tell the others about their engagement at some stage.
Resting his hand on the small of Laura's back, he allowed Pandora to guide the way through Colonial One and towards the raptor as Laura left without protesting. The last forty eight hours had been hell for them all. Now, they needed each other more than ever.
Would there ever be a silver lining to their constant series of unfortunate events?
New Caprica. Laura's cancer. Kara's death.
The list was endless.
Laura had finished setting the table when a knock came from the metal hatch. "I'll get it!" Pandora announced, all but bouncing towards the door, her feet padding across the carpet as she went. The idea of seeing the other three had cheered her up. "Uncle Saul!" Pandora exclaimed as she opened the hatch to reveal the XO. Launching herself at the man, she wrapped her arms around the man's legs in a deadlock. Laura had to chuckle at the fact that Saul had the manners to knock the hatch door before entering. It seemed he was being a little more mindful of the fact that both she and Pandora now shared Bill's quarters with him.
"Hello, Saul" Laura turned to look at the man, smiling at him as she tried to contemplate how the man might react to their news. She had to stop herself from laughing as she watched Saul attempt to free himself from Pandora's fierce hold. "I'll go and tell Bill that you're here" She told the XO before turning on her heel and heading into the kitchen in search of the Admiral of the Colonial Fleet.
"Saul's here" Laura announced as she stopped by his side, admiring the food he had just finished plating up. "What do you want to tell them?" Bill asked as he poured a healthy glass of whiskey to give to Saul, guessing that the man might just need it.
"Just the engagement, I...I don't want to tell them about the other thing yet, not until we know more" Laura pleaded, knowing there had been enough sadness and death around them already without having to add her own to the list. "Whatever you want, Laura" Bill reminded her, his hand coming to rest on her tense shoulder for a moment before reaching up to stroke her cheek. Laura bit her lip in a bid to keep the tears at bay. She couldn't get emotional now.
Hearing an extra pair of voices entering their quarters, Laura stepped forward to collect two of the warm plates, carrying them towards the table. "Hello Lee, Dee" Laura greeted the younger couple with a forced smile and a nod before retrieving Pandora from an overwhelmed Dee.
"Good evening, Madame President, Admiral" Dee spoke shyly, nodding her head at the older couple, unsure of where to look in her unfamiliar surroundings. The Admiral may have been her father in law, but she had never once been in his quarters on a private matter, especially when the President was there as well. "Laura" The President corrected, after all Dee was going to be her daughter in law - even if the younger woman wasn't aware of that fact just yet. "Laura" Dee repeated, allowing her tense and anxious shoulders to drop and relax. Perhaps this wouldn't be too bad after all?
Bill returned with the remaining plates, setting them down at their allocated spots before glancing up to greet their guests. "Hello son, Dee" He spoke as he rounded the table and took his rightful seat at the top. Saul silently sat himself down at the other end of the table while Laura took her seat beside Bill with Pandora on her other side while the younger couple sat across from the President.
"This looks delicious" Lee confessed, looking longingly at the hearty meal. With the hectic lifestyle that he lived, Lee couldn't even remember the last time he had a full, tasting meal - his last sit down dinner with someone other than Dee or the viper pilots had been when Ellen first appeared. Oh, how things had changed since then. He just hoped this dinner wouldn't be as eventful a the last. "As much as I like any excuse to sit down and eat - what are we celebrating?" Lee wonder aloud, looking between his father and the man's new house guest. He had his suspicions, though he wasn't stupid enough to voice them to the President of the Colonials or his father. However, he knew his father wasn't the sort of hold a dinner for no apparent reason.
"Well..." Bill began, reaching out to clasp his hand over Laura's on top of the walnut dinning table. Pandora allowed a knowing smile to slip onto her lips as she swung her legs from side to side, feeling the excitement bubbling inside her. "Laura and I are getting married" He announced, still cautious of how the three may react but allowed himself to wear a carefree smile.
Saul's reaction shouldn't have surprised him.
The man simply reached into the middle of the table, swiftly lifted the half full whiskey bottle and filled his glass to the very rim before drowning as much of it as he could in one go. "Well, that escalated quickly" Saul announced when he placed his glass back down onto the table, leaning back on his seat. "I can't say I'm surprised though, Bill" He admitted, knowing that any man had to be blind if he failed to see just how serious Laura and Bill's relationship was. Even with one eye he could see that!
"Really?" Lee asked, raising an eyebrow as he sat back on his seat, as though unsure of the idea of his father marrying another woman. Yes, his father's marriage to his mother had been far from happy at the best of times; but was he rushing into things with the President? Their relationship had happened so quickly. "Yes, really!" It was Pandora who answered, straining her voice as she looked across the table at the man. "I'm going to be your sister, Lee!" She reminded him, her smile was filled with happiness and hope. That alone was enough to change Lee's opinion.
Maybe some happiness was what they all needed. Lee had never felt as though he belonged to a family, more so to two parents who never saw each other and when they did, it was usually followed with the shattering of glasses and his mother drowning her sorrow in whiskey and bourbon.
Everyone deserved a second chance at happiness.
He couldn't help but think of what Kara would say. No doubt she would throw her arm around Bill's shoulder and make a sarcastic comment about the old man finally finding a woman for himself. She would have known how to handle the situation.
Yet Kara wasn't there.
"That's great, Dad" Lee confessed, allowing his own lips to pull up in a smile as he nodded his head. "I think it's about time we had something to celebrate" Dee agreed, looking from her husband to her father in law. She couldn't help but think that Laura, Bill and Pandora looked right together. As if it was always meant to be that way.
Destiny was a strange thing.
Lifting his wine glass, Lee clasped his hand around the stem as he lifted it up to offer a toast "To Bill and Laura" He declared, nodding his wineglass towards the pair before the other two adults, accompanied by a rather enthusiastic Pandora repeated his words. Laura turned her head to smile at the man beside her, giving his hand a squeeze as she relaxed in the knowledge that the other three approved of their engagement. In both Laura and Bill's mind, it was only their opinion that truly mattered to them.
The scrapping of silver cutlery against the ceramic plates filled the room. It was only whenever she was half way through her meal that Dee raised her head, speaking freely by herself for the first time. "When do you plan on getting married?" She asked curiously, feeling more comfortable around the older couple with each passing minute. Laura froze for a moment, unsure of the answer herself as she looked at Bill, who looked equally as uncertain as herself. "We actually have no idea" Laura revealed as a sense of realisation came over her. The engagement had happened so suddenly and combined with the other crisis they had been forced to deal with in the same window of time, Laura hadn't even though of the wedding.
"I think something small though. Private. In fact, I think we just had you all there then I would be happy" Laura confessed truthfully. After all, the nearest thing she had to family after the cylon attacks was Billy, who had suffered a similar fate to Kara. The good always did die young. Now, she was happy as long as Pandora was there. No doubt Bill would want Lee and Saul there as well. "So say we all" Bill declared in agreement, being the private man that he was, the last thing he wanted was a large scale wedding where he would be forced to socially interact with the Quorum and the press. Laura was always much better at that sort of thing than he was.
"Why don't you get married now?" Pandora suggested, not seeing any reason why they couldn't as she swung her legs from side to side as she finished off the last of her food. "We're all here after all" Saul added, shrugging his aging shoulders as the rest of his muttered words were drowned out as he lifted his whiskey glass and took another long sip of the burning liquid. "I think it's an excellent idea" Dee agreed as she placed her cutlery down onto the plate in front of her.
"I mean...we have nothing arranged, I have no dress..." Laura began to protest, however it was Pandora who cut her off. "You can wear your red dress!" Pandora declared as she sat up in her chair, sitting on her knees as she looked with widened eyes at the woman beside her, the excitement rolling off her in waves. Laura could sense that Dee and Pandora could be a deadly team when scheming together.
If she wasn't seeing it with her own eyes, then Laura wouldn't have believed what was happening. Lee had rushed out of the quarters in search of the high priest before she left for the evening, while Saul left his seat to get Bill's suit before retrieving another bottle of whiskey and placing it under his arm.
"Are you sure we're not rushing into this?" Laura breathed as she leaned over to move closer to the man who was about to become her husband. "There's no time like the present, Laura. You and I both know that" Bill reminded her, taking a hold of her hand as he caught sight of Saul heading for the door. Laura sighed to herself; yes, they knew that all too well. They had to live for today. Yesterday was a distant memory and tomorrow may never come. "Well then, Admiral Adama, I believe you have a church to get too" Laura teased, hoping to lighten the mood as a teasing smirk played on her lips. "I believe so, President Roslin" Bill joked, attempting to keep a straight and serious face before he leaned in to place a kiss against her lips.
"Come on!" Pandora protested as she tugged on her mother's blouse. Always the impatient child, Pandora folded her arms in a manner that reminded Bill of Laura whenever she would grow impatient with the Quorum or the press. "Right, I'm coming" Laura called over her shoulder as she pulled away from the man and turned to look at the child behind her. Taking her mother's hand, Pandora led the way from the table towards the bunk where Dee was waiting on them.
Chuckling to himself, Bill shook his head as he stood from his chair and headed towards the hatch door where Saul stood waiting, content to sip away at his precious whiskey. "You know, it's the groom who's meant to be drinking the whiskey" Bill reminded his long time friend as he left the confinements of his own quarters to go to Saul's.
"You look lovely, Laura" Dee complimented the woman before her, admiring the way the crimson red material sat against her porcelain skin. Running her hands down the side of the dress, Laura looked at herself through the mirror. Bill always did like that dress. Her hair had been left to sit around her shoulder like gentle waves while she had kept her makeup to a minimum. Her outfit was by no means a wedding dress, but she was not your conventional bride.
Laura turned around in time to see Pandora appear from around the corner. "We match!" The child announced happily, walking towards the older woman with a skip in her step. Pandora had deliberately selected the red dress that she had worn to Laura's inauguration ceremony after the exodus from New Caprica. "That we do" Laura said, smiling down at the girl as she bent down beside her.
Dee watched on with a gentle smile. It was clear that Laura was born to be a mother, no doubt her maternal instincts had developed after years of teaching. If she didn't know any better, then she would have swore with her hand on her heart that Pandora was Laura's daughter by blood. Yet blood was thicker than water.
A family brought together by choice was stronger than one forced together.
Glancing up at the clock, Dee cleared her throat to gain the pair's attention. "We best be going" She declared, knowing that if they waited any longer, they would no doubt run into the viper pilots when they returned from their training. That was the last thing they needed. Dee was fully aware that Laura and Bill wanted to keep their marriage private and out of the press's knowledge for as long as possible.
Standing up to her full height, Laura put her hand out for Pandora as she walked towards the door of the Admiral's private quarters. She was thankful for the fact that the hallways were deserted, with most of the Galactica personnel either in the CIC, the hanger deck or on viper training. She wasn't sure how she would explain her appearance other wise, even if her presence on Galactica was rarely commented on anymore.
"Kara would have liked this" Pandora commented as they headed down the hallways, attempting to stay out of sight from any passersby as they headed down to the church. "Yes, she would have" Laura replied, knowing that the pilot would have do doubt demanded to be Bill's 'Best Woman'.
Laura pulled her eyes away from Pandora as she spotted Lee standing outside the door of the church. "I've been tasked with the duty of walking the bride down the aisle"He announced as the trio arrived in front of him. His Cheshire Cat smirk assured Laura that he had changed his mood towards the marriage, no longer having a shadow of doubt towards the idea. "I'll take Pandora in" Dee suggested, reaching to take the girl's hand. Pandora dropped Laura's hand before taking Dee's, allowing Lee's wife to guide her into the church.
"Ready, Madame President?" Lee asked, holding his arm out for the woman to take, his smile beaming at her. Laura - and by extension Pandora - was exactly what his father needed. He could see that now. "As ready as I'm ever going to be" Laura assured him, moving to slip her hand through his arm before he guided the way towards the door, holding it open so she could enter first.
While she had no flowers, she had hope.
While she didn't have a virgin white gown, she had a crimson dress with meaning behind it.
While she had no wedding march to guide her down the aisle, she had the gentle giggles of Pandora to accompany her walk.
Arriving at the altar in the center of the room, Laura could feel herself turning into a giddy teenager. All of this had happened so fast. Yet in the time they lived in, every second counted. "You look lovely" Bill declared as Laura arrived at his side, his eyes moving in an elevator like motion as he looked the woman up and down. "You don't wash up too bad yourself" She joked, admiring the way his official uniform - the one had worn while showing her the water refiner not long after she had first been instated - looked on him. Gods, when had she ever gotten so luck?
"May we begin?" The Priest interrupted, leaning forward slightly to look at the President and Admiral. As much as she would love to go straight to the bar and collect her winnings from her bet, she was positive that the Admiral and President wanted to keep their marriage a secret for as long as possible. Laura nodded her head in confirmation and watched as the priest cleared her throat.
"Who gives this woman to be married to this man?" The priest asked, standing between the couple and the altar as she allowed her gaze to fall on Lee. "That would be me" The C.A.G spoke, feeling Laura tighten her grip on his arm slightly. If anyone had of told his father two years ago that he would be marrying the President, Lee was sure that the man would have had them locked up in the brig and sent to Cottle to have their head checked.
Time was a funny thing. It could change a person in more ways than one.
Leaning over to kiss Laura's cheek, Lee then shook his father's hand before taking his place beside Dee who stood at Laura's side with an enthusiastic Pandora who wore her usual cheeky grin as she watched the couple in front of the Priest.
Laura used her free hand to slip a strand of hair behind her ear, cautious of the fact that time was not on their side. Last thing they needed was worshipers to arrive in the church during the ceremony.
"Madame President" The Priest spoke, deciding it may be safer to address the woman by her rightful title "If you could repeat after me. I, Laura Roslin, take you William Adama.."As the younger woman spoke, Laura turned herself so that she was facing Bill, taking ahold of his free hand as well. Repeating the priest's words, she could feel a chance in the air. As if everything was right in the world. "...to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."As she repeated the words, Laura couldn't help but linger on the last phrase. What if her death came sooner than either of them wanted? Pushing the thought to the darkest corner of her mind, Laura smiled at the man before her, squeezing his hand as she placed all her trust in him.
He would see her through the storm. She was sure of that much.
"Admiral Adama" The Priest began, turning to face the man, allowing a smile to decorate her features. "If you could repeat after me. I, William Adama, take you Laura Roslin..." He repeated the woman's words, making a mental note to thank Pandora later for bringing up the spontaneous idea of getting married then. This was exactly what they both wanted. No fuss. No press. Just the two of them and four other most important people in their life - their family. They had to live in the moment, because tomorrow may never come. "...to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part."Bill himself spoke the last phrase with a heavy heart, the idea of Laura's cancer plagued his mind for a moment. Cottle would find a solution to it, he had too.
Laura seemed to sense his sudden change in mood as she squeezed his hand in bid to offer him some silent comfort. "Do we have any rings?" The Priest asked, causing Laura's face to drop in realisation while Bill sighed to himself. They were bound to forget something. "I do" Saul spoke, digging inside the pocket of his jacket before producing a small black velvet box. Laura blinked in shock, unsure if it was truthfully Saul before her. Though Bill was his greatest friend, and no doubt Saul had wanted to repay him in some way for his decades of kindness.
Handing the velvet box over to his friend, Saul patted the Admiral's shoulder. It seemed Saul really could surprise them all. Flipping open the box, Bill watched as the two narrow gold bands caught the dim candle light. Bill nodded his thanks before taking a hold of Laura's left hand, using his other hand to take the smaller of the two rings out of its velvet cushion.
"Laura, I give you this ring, as a symbol of our marriage, for today and tomorrow, and for all the days to come" Bill spoke confidently, glowing with pride as he slipped the cold band onto the woman's slender finger, admiring the way it caught the light against the soft skin of her finger.
Laura could feel the crystal tears pooling around the rim of her eyes as she looked down at the gold band. Before the attacks on the colonies. She had been a single woman without a family, who's sisters and father had been stolen away from her in a tragic, that had been diagnosed with an apparently terminal cancer that forced her to re-evaluate her life - and more so her relationship with a certain President of the Colonies. Fast forward in a two years, she was the President with a family, a daughter and now a husband, and while her cancer had returned, she was confident she could fight it.
If only her mother could have been there.
The woman had come to accept the fact that Laura wouldn't be making her a grandmother and wouldn't be giving her a strapping young son in law - not like her younger sister had done. Her youngest sister hadn't even been given the chance to do that.
Taking Bill's ring, she handed the box over to Lee before taking a hold of Bill's left hand. Taking a deep breath, Laura blinked away the unshed tears as she thought of something meaningful to say. Her mind rushed back to the samples of vows she had helped her sister write on the eve of the woman's wedding. "With this ring, I give you my heart. From this day forward, you shall not walk alone. May my heart be your shelter, may my arms be your home" Laura declared, looking down at the man's hand as she placed the gold band onto his finger. A perfect fit. Turning her gaze back to the man before her, she gave him her undivided attention as the priest spoke for the final time.
"It gives me the greatest honor to announce you as husband and wife. You may kiss your bride, Admiral" She could hardly hide her excitement, it seemed the gossipers of Galactica had been right about their analysis of the Adama-Roslin partnership. Though this was one secret she would struggle to keep, she knew it was for the best. If not for the Admiral and President, then for the child, who was already under enough scrutiny as it was.
Bill stepped forward to close the gap between them, his arm finding its way around Laura's waist, pulling her close as he brought his lips down against hers. Yes, their wedding was by no means conventional, perhaps their marriage wasn't either. Yet it was what they wanted.
All they needed was hope, faith and each other.
Everything else would work itself out.
Though Bill couldn't deny that he could feel a change coming, as though something was brewing just about to begin.