34%
New Caprica
26:00
Απρίλης (Aprilis) - month four of occupation
It had been many, many months since she had felt Adama's guttural voice rip through her with such powerful, disappointed anger.
"Laura..." he had uttered, his eyes locked to hers - their irises shrinking around his swollen pupils, the dark, silent abyss below saying everything he didn't. He'd known - quietly to himself - he had always known. Perhaps on some level he even agreed with her decision. But he had never, ever wanted to see that thing again - least of all in Laura's arms, as if it were her own.
Laura had not asked to be President nor had she aspired to it by any degree, despite this she could sentence Cylons and stupidity alike to the airlock without a flinch - but a small child? She was a school teacher, after all.
He left her that evening without a further word - the child's screams from within her arms following him through the village and out onto the raised lands at the north of the site. She did all she could to quiet it down, but the young Cylon/Human hybrid would not be silenced. It cried and cried until the sun weakly brought New Caprica into the last stages of winter. Ice that had held its grip for so long finally began to crack and fall away. The tents of the settlement lost their crisp, white exterior - patches of green and brown escaping into the weak dawn.
The mother returned the next day, taking her precious infant from Laura with thanks for her time. Laura - still shaken and plagued with residual guilt, declined the woman's offers for further contact with the child, even though the act of letting it go brought a sick feeling to her. Laura had never had children of her own - at least, not for very long...
A month on and Laura had not made contact, she wondered if the Admiral would still come this night.
Caprica's star was setting later now, leaving the once dark land in long periods of twilight. She stood outside, enjoying a rare moment of natural warmth. The Admiral was late, not worryingly so but the thought of him not coming evoked a deep loneliness that had laid quiescent under her brave expression for longer than she cared to remember. That may have explained why she jumped visibly when someone wound their arms protectivly around her waist from behind.
"Gods! Oh -" she didn't know whether to giggle uncontrollably or break down in his arms.
Admiral Adama had spent the first week since their last meeting pacing aggressively around Battlestar - and occasionally Pegasus, snapping at everything and everyone that came into eye-line. Seven days later and the snapping had turned inward, his mind obsessing through the late hours of the evening - come another week he was back to hating her. Hating her for putting herself in such danger, not only from the child but potentially Baltar's unstable mind.
The last week however, saw his nights spent in silence thinking of nothing else but her - and how much he wanted to see her again.
The two pulled back into Laura's tent and into the familiar warm glow - Laura still encircled in Bill's embrace. They stayed like that for a while - feeling nothing but each other - forgetting all else. He held her tighter still and she responded by leaning backwards - letting her head fall back on his shoulder where he then pursued the sensitive skin beneath her ear.
As was always the rule, they broke silently, as if nothing more than a handshake had taken place. Laura made sure the tent was properly sealed before facing the Admiral who had already retreated further toward the fire.
"I - I wasn't sure if you were coming."
He lifted his gaze from the coals to see her nervously linger by the entrance. "I'd be lying if I said I hadn't thought about it." For a brief moment he thought he saw the light catch pre-tear moisture in her eyes. "Not coming back - that is."
"What made you change your mind?"
"It dawned on me what an insensitive Cylon I was being."
The tent went into temporary quiet before a large smile broke across Laura's face then, in a contagious leap, Admiral Adama's lips curled pleasantly upward at the sight of her.
"You've got a - " Laura pointed to the beginnings of a moustache.
"Nothing better to spend my time on." he twitched it slightly and she laughed. "I have something for you."
"I can guess at what it is." she said, remembering the list he had produced at their last meeting.
"I doubt that." he said, withdrawing a small pouch made from the deepest navy velvet.
"What is this?"
"Open it and see."
Suspiciously, Laura undid the delicate string holding the opening closed. Unable to see into the darkness of the bag, she tipped its contents out onto her hand. The glittering surface of the object shone up at her.
"They found it, just out beyond the colony." explained Adama from beside the fire. Laura examined the necklace whose heavy, golden body sunk in the centre around the cut of the jewel. The gold was crafted into two human style figures lifting the spherical stone like a sun above their heads. "They call it 'Prometheus' - the jewel." She moved it about in her hand and from its blood red complexion sprung fourth sparks of orange and gold.
"Beautiful." she paused, "There were humans here then?"
"Once, maybe. Not necessarily - there is always the possibility of similar life arising on this planet."
"Or one of the colonies came here..."
"This is not Earth - of that our scientists are sure."
"As long as that scientist isn't Baltar, I believe them."
"Speaking of Baltar," Adama approached, "we have some very serious problems."
"Tell me something I don't know."
"He seems to have lost the will - he declines any interest in the settlement and instead spends his time bedding whores. We needn't have worried about him watching you - he's not watching anything at the moment. I don't know about you, but I find his apathy more frightening than his paranoia."
"What are you going to do about it?"
"Actually, I hoped you might do something about it."
Laura frowned slightly. "Me?"
"Despite what you may think, he still listens to you."
"That was before I tried to steal an election, before I 'killed' a child." Laura closed her eyes at the mental stumble, why had she brought that back up?
"But you didn't kill the child - and he knows why you stole the election. He is afraid of you and you alone Laura. You are the only one that can destroy him - that is why he will listen to you."
"This will only work once, are you sure that now is the time? Crying wolf more than once sees the whole village eaten..."
"He's ready, on the edge - you have to do this for the colony."
Laura nodded, closing her fist around the necklace. The two commanders stood in the fire-light, both aware of the risk a confrontation with Baltar might cause.
"I'll talk to him, but I sense that I am not the only thing he fears now."
"Thank you." he smiled earnestly, "I have to leave now, there is a particularly strong solar flare due shortly and I can't afford to be caught in transit. This is yours also." he said, extending many sheets of paper. "Everyone save three have signed it - you now have the complete support of the Battlestars."
Laura took the documents from Bill who extended his other hand over hers - holding them there for a moment.
"Until next month."
"Next month."
As abruptly as he had arrived - he was gone, back into the chaotic world outside.
Laura exhaled deeply, Adama had failed to notice the small child asleep beneath the blankets next to the fire. Some promises were harder to keep than others.
*~*
It is suggested that you read "A Meeting with the President" on conclusion of this chapter.
Author Notes:
"The curiosity of unaccounted time is little more than a deep, creeping silence awaiting inevitable disturbance..."
or basically; it's a really long wait until bsg comes back, so let us indulge in spoiler driven fanfic
Special thanks to Lidarose who takes the time to Beta my fanfiction :D