The weather is perfect the day of the outdoor wedding ceremony for Jean and Eugene: blue skies, a few fluffy clouds, a slight breeze blowing in from the ocean, and a comfortable temperature for the wedding party dressed in tuxedos and long formal dresses. The festivities last well into the evening past sunset, couples dancing in the moonlight with the sound of the ocean waves barely drowned out by the live band.
Emilee sleeps soundly in her stroller as her grandparents keep a watchful eye while Laura and Bill move around the dance floor. Laura never realized what a challenge it was to keep time with the music while wearing a full-length dress and sporting a substantial baby bump. Sasha and Stuart stick to the slow dances since she's further along and tires easily.
When Laura and Bill take a break, JJ and Dave hit the dance floor, impressing everyone with their moves. They change partners, JJ with the groom and Dave with the beautiful bride, who informs JJ after the dance that she has a wonderful oatmeal raisin cookie recipe to share so that she can make Dave's favorite cookies.
"I adore this man. I am so happy for both of you," Jean tells her before joining her new husband for the next dance.
"I never realized you love oatmeal raisin cookies," JJ murmurs to Dave during the next slow dance.
"Let me tell you the story behind that," he says, then shares with her the crush he had on a friend's much older aunt when he was a teenager. "She made the best oatmeal raisin cookies. I told Jean that story almost a year ago and whenever she sees me, she almost always brings me a cookie."
Cheryl has been watching music videos and dance programs to prepare for this very day, demonstrating some of her new dance moves for everyone to see. There's the pelvic thrust as she rubs her hands across her body, the shoulder shake while she puckers her lips, and the highly inappropriate butt twerk while her tongue hangs out of her mouth.
"Uh-oh," Bill says, bumping Laura with his shoulder and pointing at her little sister. As he stands to approach Cheryl and offer to dance nicely with her, Saul slides by and whispers, "I got it under control," before he scoops the little girl into his arms, causing her to squeal and giggle. "You owe Uncle Saul some dances, young lady," he laughs before setting her back on the dance floor and holding her hands, swaying from side to side in a non-obscene manner.
"Gods, what are daddy and JJ going to do with her?" Laura asks with a roll of her eyes, shaking her head at her littlest sister.
"Only eight more years and she'll be sneaking out her window with a pocket full of condoms," Bill quips, giving his wife a wry grin.
Laura smiles at the memory, at least the good part of it where she wound up dancing with a certain honorable young man that night. "If she gets as lucky as I did, then I guess she'll be okay. I'm worried about this little one here," she nods toward their sleeping baby.
"That's why we're never moving out of the loft. She can't crawl out a window when we live on the third floor. And the security system will let us know if she tries to sneak out."
"Excellent point, Bill. But don't you think it's going to be kind of crowded with two kids?"
"Let me take care of that," he replies with a twinkle in his eye.
She considers the possibility of dividing the baby room into two rooms, but they would be small, especially as their children grow older. "What are you up to?"
"Nothing yet. But I'm going to talk with the landlord this week about letting us expand into that storage area past the laundry room. He barely uses it, and it would almost double our square footage. Extra bedrooms, another bathroom, an office, whatever we want. Maybe a playroom, too. I'd offer to finish the space so he doesn't have to hire someone."
"That would be amazing! Do you think he'd let us do that?"
"I think he'd be open to it, especially since he's not making any money on a space that's mostly empty. It already has environmental controls, it just needs to be cleaned and have some walls put up."
Laura is excited about the possibilities. "We could use the new space as offices until the kids are older and move into those rooms. Then we can convert the baby room back to an office and guest room. Gods, I hope he agrees!"
As the reception continues, the band switches to slow music for close dances, sensing that guests are becoming tired. Sandra and Logan have plenty of energy, though, and while they dance, they pepper each other with questions.
"My turn," she says. "Where did you go to elementary school?"
"Campbell."
"Really? My sister's Vice Principal there!"
"Cheryl's a Vice Principal?" he jokes.
"No, silly," she giggles, playing with his hair by his collar as they sway to the music. "Laurie, the pregnant one."
"Now it's my turn," he says, narrowing his eyes at her as he tries to come up with a good question. "Was Caprica City U the only university you considered?"
"Uh, yeah, you could say that! Nobody else was going to let me in at 16, especially since I was still on probation. And my dad was keeping a pretty close eye on me. That's what happens when you're a juvenile delinquent," she whispers, leaning in close and grinning at him.
"I've always had a thing for bad girls, you know that, right?"
"You've told me that at least a dozen times since I told you I spent a few hours in jail. What am I going to do with you, Logan?"
Dave spins JJ around the dance floor, rarely taking his eyes off Sandra who is enjoying every second with her date. "I thought they were just friends," he whispers in JJ's ear.
"Sandra says he's a friend, but I think Logan wants to be more than friends," she replies.
"What do you think of him?" Dave asks.
"He's very nice and I'm assuming he must be responsible and have a clean record because I know they go through a pretty intense interview process and background check to become an RA. They have really great chemistry, don't you think?"
"Yes, they do," he agrees, watching them intently as Sandra leans her head back and laughs at the stars.
"Has Jeff said anything to you about the portrait Sandra left for him?"
Dave's eyes focus on Logan's hand as it caresses Sandra's back while she rests her face against his shoulder. "No. Not a word. I didn't even see him come in and get it. Do you think she's finally getting over him and deciding to move on with Logan?"
"Maybe. They look good together and they obviously enjoy each other's company. Have you let go of the notion that she and Jeff will get together?"
Dave sighs as he thinks about what could have been between Sandra and Jeff. He always thought they'd make a great couple, but maybe he was projecting his own wishes onto them. Sandra is a lot like her mom and, he won't deny it, Jeff is a lot like him. Even though he had told Jeff he would stay out of his business when it came to his daughter, he occasionally drops a tidbit of information about her, mixing it in with tidbits about Laurie or Cheryl so that he's not being too obvious. "I think I'll casually mention to Jeff that Sandra is having her book signing next weekend. Maybe he'll show up."
"Or…we could accept the fact that it's not going to happen for them," JJ says, offering the sensible thing to do.
"I have to try one more time. If he would just talk to her and see how much she's changed since this summer, I think they'd at least become friends again. I just want what's best for them."
"Dave, I'm going to tell you something," JJ says, fixing the collar on his shirt like she does when she's about to say something he may not want to hear. "What you think is best for them, might not actually be best for them. Sandra has grown and is more mature now. She has an understanding and acceptance of her feelings that she didn't have before. She's much more open with people and relaxed and happy. And she's done all that without Jeff in her life."
"Are you saying he was holding her back?"
"No. But sometimes bad things need to happen to give you that kick in the shorts that you need to make positive changes in your life. Losing Jeff was that bad thing for Sandra. And she wisely used it as motivation to finally address her issues. Look at her – look how happy she is. Logan's a good guy. I'm happy for her."
"I'm telling you, the man has been on top of the world since your date Saturday night," Willow informs Sandra over lunch on Monday in the student union. "Is there something you haven't told me?"
"Noooo," Sandra replies with a huge smile on her face, "but the more I get to know him, the more I like him. He was a great date and a perfect gentleman. Only kissed the back of my hand when he took me home, which sorta made me want to grab him and plant one on his lips, but I controlled myself. I'm still working on that impulsivity. I'm getting better."
"There's nothing wrong with grabbing him and kissing him. It isn't like you haven't already kissed, and there was plenty of tongue from what I witnessed," Willow recalls, raising her eyebrows at Sandra to emphasize her point.
"Hmm, I'm seriously considering it. Now that I've gotten to know him, I don't compare him to Jeff like I used to. But I'm still wondering if I kiss him if I'll be thinking of Jeff."
"Sandra, it's been three weeks," Willow groans. "If he was going to contact you about the portrait, he would have done it by now. I hate to say it, but it's over between the two of you."
Despite the distance that has grown between her and Jeff, Sandra can't shake the feeling that she needs to talk to him one more time. "It's just…I'd like some closure. You know, say goodbye once and for all, let him know there're no hard feelings. Then I think I can move on."
"Move on and into the arms of Logan?"
"Maybe," she replies with a wide grin that has become a habit whenever she thinks of him. "I think I'll ask him to my book signing this weekend. Are you going to come?"
"If Logan'll give me a ride over there," Willow answers with a smirk.
Returning to his sneaky nature, Dave waits until he knows for sure Jeff is at his desk in the afternoon before he tapes a flyer to his door about Sandra's book signing this Saturday at The Book Worm. Making as much noise and commotion as possible to draw attention to himself, several people wander over to see what he's doing. Many are surprised to learn that Lieutenant Cheryl herself will be there as well as her trusty side-kick Fletcher, assuming Dave purchases a larger cat carrier before then that will accommodate his girth.
"Cheryl has an official flight suit that she'll be wearing, and she knows how to give a proper salute," he tells the office workers, who all remark how adorable she must be. Several plan to bring their children and grandchildren to the signing, which puts a smile on Dave's face because he knows how concerned Sandra is that nobody will show up.
Hester, who has worked for Dave for many years and has seen his daughters grow up, clutches a hand to her chest as she admires the flyer. "You must be so proud of her, Dr. Roslin. It's hard to believe she's this grown up already."
"She's really changed and gotten her life on track these past few months," Dave says in a slightly louder tone than usual, hoping Jeff overhears him.
"Well, she always was a smart girl," Hester notes, "but that's no surprise since she's a Roslin. I will make sure to bring as many of my grandchildren as possible."
"We appreciate that, Hester," Dave says. "Sandra's a little worried nobody will be there, but I think she's going to be pleasantly surprised."
Jeff sits with his back to the gathering, but Dave is certain he saw his head move to the side when he mentioned how Sandra's life is back on track.
Tuesday afternoon, the copier outside of Dave's office whirs as it spits out several copies of the flyer he had posted on his door. Dean Stockwell gave him permission to hang one on each bulletin board in the building, leave them on worker desks, and place them in mail slots for the faculty.
He makes sure he's talking to Hester outside his office when Jeff arrives in the afternoon. His grad student carefully places his backpack under his desk, sets his water bottle in the right-hand corner, opens his laptop, then pulls the flyer toward him. After a prolonged glance, he folds it over and tucks it into the top drawer.
Later when Jeff leaves for the day, Dave casually walks to his desk, opens the drawer, and discovers the flyer is gone. The trash and recycle bins in his cubicle are empty. He smiles at the realization that Jeff must have taken the flyer with him.
Carefully checking each pet carrier for weight limits, JJ and Cheryl quickly discover that Fletch won't fit in any of the cat carriers so they must buy one for a small dog. This type has a reinforced handle, which is good because the handle had broken on the carrier that is now too small, which should have been the first indication that Fletch was getting way too big. They invest in some activity toys for him and diet cat chow, hoping this will help get his weight under control.
Upon returning home, JJ and Cheryl carry the items into her room, and Cheryl quickly coaxes Fletch to the carrier to test it for size. He happily saunters inside since she put a catnip toy in the back.
"I need to talk to your daddy for a little while. Do you need a snack before I go upstairs?"
Much more interested in showing Fletch his new toys and replacing his old cat food with the diet kind, Cheryl shakes her head in response.
"Hey, honey, how was your day?" JJ asks, walking into Dave's office where he stands leaning over his desk looking at images of potential book covers.
"Good. Jeff took one of the flyers, or I'm 99 percent certain he did. How was your day?" he asks, giving her a hug and a kiss.
After telling him about the successful afternoon of shopping for cat items, Jen nervously bites at her lip. "I have to talk to you about something. Have a seat, Dave." Once he takes a seat in his desk chair, she then rests on the edge of the desk.
"You look worried. Did something happen with Cheryl today?" he asks.
"No, she was as sweet and mindful as could be. I don't know anything for sure yet, but I feel I should tell you this."
"What's that?"
"Dave, honey…I'm late."
His slow blink allows him time to absorb her words and reflect on the last time he heard them, which was 7.5 months before Cheryl was born.
"Lieutenant Cheryl, where's Commander Roslin?" Sandra asks as she enters her sister's room from the bathroom.
"In his office. And he's an admiral, not a commander," Cheryl corrects her.
"Okey-dokey, I'll remember that for my next book. Is your uniform clean for Saturday?"
"Yes. And I even polished my helmet."
"We've been so busy lately that I didn't realize that I was late until I was out with Cheryl today and noticed the date on the dashboard in my car. Dave, I'm like clockwork. This hasn't happened to me before."
"But you don't know for sure yet, right?" he asks, wondering if Jen is happy about this, upset, or ambivalent.
"No. I'm seeing the doctor tomorrow. This could just be because I'm older. It doesn't necessarily mean that I'm pregnant."
"Whoooaaaa, whaaaattt?!" Sandra draws out her words, her jaw slack as she stands just outside the door of her father's office. "You're pregnant?!"
Doctors' offices have always seemed cold to Jen, especially on this day as she sits on the edge of the exam table wearing nothing but a thin hospital gown and a pair of socks. The room is unfriendly with a cold white tile floor, white painted walls, white cupboards, white ceiling, white everything. Even the paper gown is white.
It's a relief when Dave places his jacket around her without asking, sensing how uncomfortable and nervous she is. That's his nature, he notices when people he cares about need comfort and warmth, and he provides it as if it's the most natural thing in all the colonies to do.
Being wrapped in his jacket is the next best thing to being wrapped in his arms. Jen relaxes, taking in his scent from the jacket, and the feel of his arm around her shoulders while his other hand grasps hers.
After swearing Sandra to secrecy last night, the couple had talked for an hour, trying to address all the what-ifs, and finally concluding that they should wait until they know for sure whether she's actually pregnant. Then they rehashed everything when they went to bed, Jen deciding that a baby is a blessing, especially for her since she never had one of her own. Never mind the fact she's 47 years old. Or that she's been thinking about retirement already. Or that her child would be younger than her grandchildren. If she is truly pregnant with Dave's baby, that baby will be loved.
The doctor enters the room and has Jen lie back on the table for a quick exam.
"You're in very good health, Ms. Jorgenson. If you'd like to change back into your clothes, we should have the results of your blood test soon. Just open the door a crack to let us know when you're dressed."
After changing out of the gown and pitching it in the waste bin, Jen sits in a chair beside Dave, resting a palm against his cheek. "How are you doing with all of this? I'm sure you didn't have plans for another child."
He reflects on the last time he was in this situation and how wonderfully it turned out for him. "I'm excited. This feels…right. Does it feel that way to you?"
The love in his eyes puts her at ease. "It does now. Thank you for telling me that. Okay, here we go," she says drawing in a deep breath when the doctor returns to the room.
It's the night before Sandra's book signing, and rather than everyone being excited and cheerful, Dave, JJ, and Sandra are subdued and have been ever since Wednesday evening. Cheryl thought it was unusual when her sister picked her up from daycare on Wednesday, having gotten used to her mom picking her up. On Thursday, Sandra showed up again and took her home. Today the same thing happened.
At first, she assumes it's because her mom is working, but every night when they get home, she's there. She gives Cheryl a hug, makes a quick snack, then retreats to the bedroom upstairs until it's time for dinner. Her father has been doing the cooking alone, just like he's doing right now as Cheryl sits at the table watching in silence as her sister puts plates and silverware in their places.
"Cher, can you get the napkins?" Sandra asks quietly, like she's afraid to speak in a normal tone.
Cheryl retrieves four napkins from the dispenser in the kitchen, carefully placing each one on a plate before returning to her seat, watching her father and Sandra work quietly in the kitchen.
"What's wrong with mommy?" she finally asks. "Did I do something to make her mad?"
"No, honey, you didn't do anything," Dave tries to assure her.
"Dad, just tell her," Sandra urges.
"Mom had a doctor's appointment this past Wednesday and found out something that has made her sort of sad. That's all," he says, smiling at Cheryl in a way that isn't very convincing.
"Like what?" she probes, realizing that her father and sister are behaving similarly to when her late mother became ill.
"It's…nothing you need to worry about," Dave replies, pushing the vegetable stir fry around the pan.
Cheryl's breathing becomes shallow as she assumes the worst, her lower lip jutting out as her eyes become watery.
"Dad," Sandra says, nodding toward her little sister.
"No," Cheryl croaks through the lump in her throat. "No!" With balled-up fists she rubs the tears from her eyes as she begins to sob at the table. "I can't lose her, too! I can't," she gasps.
"Dad!" Sandra exclaims, grabbing the spatula from his hand and taking over the stir fry so he can tend to his youngest child who has clearly assumed the worst.
"Cheryl, honey, look at me," Dave says in a soft tone kneeling next to her, taking her hands in his. "Look at me, sweetheart. I didn't mean to upset you, I'm sorry. There's nothing wrong with her. The doctor said she's in really great shape. She's not going anywhere."
"Are you sure?" she asks, still sobbing at the thought that her new mom might be sick.
"I'm positive. Let's go upstairs and see her right now."
The same huge windows that are on the outside wall of the living room of the loft fill the three exterior walls of the storage room. The landlord points out where the environmental controls are, stating that the heating and cooling system is separate from the loft, and they will need to let the utility company know when to start billing them for service. The space is empty except for a pile of boxes in one corner.
The hardwood floor needs to be refinished and walls will have to be constructed, but there is plenty of space for two large bedrooms, a family room area, and another full bathroom where there are plumbing fixtures already located in the middle of the room. Bill suggests putting a bedroom on each side with entrances into the bathroom from the hallway and both bedrooms, just like in the Roslin home. He would also construct walk-in closets in each room.
"Smart idea. We girls always have a lot of stuff," Laura says, knowing how much she loves the walk-in closet in the master bedroom. "And I like having a dedicated bathroom for these bedrooms that's separate from the half-bath that our dinner guests use. We won't constantly have to nag the girls to keep it so clean."
"What d'ya think, precious?" he asks Emilee who is looking around the room while he holds her in his arms. "Is this where you want your bedroom?"
"Dada," she says, flapping an arm in the air. "Dada!"
"I think that's a yes, Laura. Can you say mama? Mama?"
"Dada."
"No, ma-ma," he replies, emphasizing each syllable.
"Dada."
"Okay. Maybe tomorrow."
After Dave explains about the misunderstanding that just took place in the kitchen, he leaves Cheryl alone with JJ so he can finish making dinner. She pulls the scared girl into a warm embrace, assuring her there is nothing wrong with her.
"Sweetie, I didn't mean to worry you. I've been feeling sorry for myself."
"About what?" Cheryl asks, still not completely convinced that her mom is fine.
"I delayed having a baby of my own, and now that I've found somebody wonderful to marry, the doctor told me it's probably too late. I'm too old now, my body is changing so that I won't be able to have a baby. And it makes me sad."
"You and daddy want to have a baby?" Cheryl asks, an idea that never occurred to her before now.
"Not necessarily, but if I happened to get pregnant, then, yes, we would have a baby."
"Because you have sex all the time," Cheryl states matter-of-factly.
"Because we love each other," JJ replies, trying to steer Cheryl away from how things happen to why things happen.
Taking JJ's hands in hers, much like her father did in the kitchen moments ago, Cheryl stares at her face and realizes she has recently been crying. "I wish you weren't so sad," she says in a soft voice. "I know I wasn't your baby, but you're my mommy now, and I love you."
A different kind of tears sting JJ's eyes as she responds by pulling Cheryl into another big hug. "Oh, my goodness, my sweet girl, you know just what to say, don't you? I love you so much. I feel better already. How about after dinner, we go out to get some ice cream? Just me and you."
"I'd like that, but can daddy and Sandra come with? It would be nice for all of us to be together."
One hour into the book signing at The Book Worm Saturday morning, the line has grown and is all the way out the door. Sandra is overjoyed at the response to her book, taking the time to ask each child what their favorite part is before she signs the inside cover. Many stop to pose with the real-life Lieutenant Cheryl, who salutes and stands proudly next to each smiling child during the photo op, oftentimes with Fletcher on the cat-tree behind them, when he decides to stay there. He's much more interested in wandering around and trying to burrow into all sorts of dark places, looking for trouble, bugs, mice, and whatever else piques his curiosity. At least he's getting some exercise by exploring the large store.
"I'm not a little kid, but can I have your autograph?" a young man asks who steps forward when it's his turn.
"Logan! Thank you for coming!" Sandra exclaims, standing and throwing her arms around him. "And you brought Will, too!"
"Yes, he did, and he talked about you the whole way here," Willow announces, winking at her friend and nudging her with her elbow. Turning her head so that she's whispering directly into her ear, Willow mumbles, "If you don't kiss him pretty soon, I'm going to make you sleep on the floor from now on."
It takes over ten minutes of driving around the parking lot for Jeff to find an empty parking spot at the bookstore. Entire families are standing in a line that stretches outside the store and around the corner, and after locking his vehicle, he walks to the end of the line to take his place. At the rate that it's moving, it'll take another half hour or so just to get inside the store.
His hope is that Sandra will be happy to see him, but if she isn't or if it's too awkward, he can easily shrink back into the crowd and leave her be until they can talk privately at a later time. He's mainly here to support her accomplishment, have her sign a copy of her book, thank her for his portrait, and to tell her he misses her, too.
"Have you seen him?" JJ whispers to Dave as they sit off to the side, trying to keep an eye on both Cheryl and Fletcher.
"No, but with this many people, it'd be easy to miss him. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe he took the flyer home but then changed his mind."
"Might be better he isn't here," JJ nods toward the table where Sandra sits. An extra chair has been brought in so Logan can sit next to her, and his arm is resting across the back of her chair.
"They look good together," Dave observes.
"Mmm-hmm, they sure do," JJ agrees.
"It's nice of him to come and support her."
"Mmm-hmm," JJ hums again, giving Dave's hand a squeeze for acknowledging Logan's kindness toward Sandra.
A while later, Sandra takes a short break to use the restroom. While she's gone, Logan orders a cold drink for her from the brew house inside the store.
Jeff has finally gotten to the part of the line just inside the entryway, so he's still a good ten minutes from speaking with her. He can see Cheryl happily posing in her uniform with other children which brings a smile to his face. A bump against his leg causes him to look down where Fletcher is head-butting him and purring.
"Hey, buddy, long time no see," he greets the portly feline, kneeling to the floor so he can scratch his ears.
"There she is!" a child exclaims from behind Jeff. "Mommy, I can see her! We're almost there!"
Jeff looks up from where he's kneeling next to Fletcher and watches Sandra walking from the back of the store toward the table. She looks amazing - vibrant, radiant, cheerful, and confident. Dave wasn't kidding when he said she has changed.
Standing, he raises his arm to wave at her when a man around his age hands her a cold coffee blend. After taking it from him, she pecks a kiss to his cheek, using her thumb to swipe away her lipstick. He then pulls her chair out for her so she can take a seat and resume signing books.
The expression on Jeff's face freezes and he lowers his arm, staring at Sandra as she scoots her chair a little closer to the blonde guy who has his arm around her. The young couple looks extremely happy, like they belong together. Watching them sitting so close together, both with smiles on their faces while they interact with the children, makes Jeff question why he waited so long to reconnect with her. Slowly, his smile fades at the realization that he could have been there for her, should have been there for her, offering his support and friendship while she matured into the confident young woman behind that table signing copies of her book. Her personality spills from her as she chats with each child, her rich laughter reminding Jeff of how they used to be together. His smile reappears as he realizes she has successfully moved forward with her life and is now content. That's all that matters to him now – her happiness, and he decides it's best not to interfere.
"See you around, Fletch," Jeff mumbles, scratching his ears one more time. Turning toward the back of the line, he walks through the entryway, and out the door.