Absolutely

Rating: U
Summary: Alternative scene-ending for 3.15: A Day in the Life
SPOILERS: 3.15 A Day In The Life
Disclaimer: I do not own Battlestar Galactica’s characters or premise. I borrow them from Ron D Moore et al, and promise I won’t do them harm.
A/N: I had absolutely no problem with the way the ‘hypothetical’ scene in A Day In The Life went, and yet this alternative conclusion to it wouldn’t stop pestering me all day so I had to write it. So now I offer it to you. Enjoy!

She crosses in front of him and his hand instinctively reaches for her arm. It’s a gentle grip, and as she stops and turns back to face him, his fingers slide down her forearm, and enclose her hand. His eyes have been occupied watching this happen, and when he raises them to meet hers, he finds her head tilted slightly in silent anticipation of his next words.

And up until that point, he wasn’t sure what his next words were going to be. He had once more effectively danced around the feelings and blatant attraction they had been skirting since New Caprica, convincing himself that was for the best. And yet, despite all of the reasons he had come up with not to pursue a relationship with the President of the Colonies, when it came down to it, he couldn’t let Laura leave. Even if he didn’t know what he was going to say to her.

But when the first thing his mind offers up as he registers her expression is ‘Gods, she’s adorable’, it is decided for him…

“Would you have built the cabin?” he asks her, his voice coming out in more of a gravely whisper than he had intended.

If she is startled by his sudden question, she doesn’t show it. Instead, he is captivated as her lips curve upwards, her eyes sparkle, and her entire being seems to glow with radiance. “Absolutely,” she answers, and her tone leaves no room for doubt.

There is an amusement and excitement to her eyes as they confidently hold his, and he feels his own smile forming in reaction to hers, a similar exhilaration building within him. He’s reluctant to admit to such a feeling, but he’s giddy. It’s the only word that suitably describes what he is feeling at that moment. And, as she gently squeezes his hand, clearly growing impatient with his silence, he decides he doesn’t care how un-Admiral-like that feeling is. He likes it.

He pulls lightly on the hand he holds, bringing her to him as he takes a step closer to her. She offers him an impressed smile as she looks up at him awaiting his next move, and she leans willingly into him when that move is to tenderly cup one side of her neck with his free hand. His thumb strokes slowly across her jawline, confirming for him that her skin is in fact even softer than the last time he briefly got to touch her.

He leans even closer, almost thrown from his train of thought when she rests her hands against his chest. He manages, however, to regain enough lucidity to take the step that has thus far been excluded from their dance sequence. And, with the same resolute tone she had used to respond to him, he allows himself to admit: “Then I absolutely would have settled.”

THE END