Laura glanced, for what must have been the millionth time, at the clock
on the wall behind the Picon representative’s head. She did know his name. But
it was hardly important right now. Her main concern was the fact that the hands
were still moving round the clock, and she hadn’t yet received the phone call
she was waiting for.
Her impatience with the meeting was no doubt radiating from her posture and
expression as well as her obsession with the time. But it had been called at the
last minute, apparently about a matter of urgency, and so far had been nothing
that couldn’t have waited until next month if necessary.
She had kept her schedule free for today, and was supposed to be on Galactica
right now. So if the Quorum were to be known only by their colony in her head
today, she really didn’t care. They were keeping her from where she wanted to
be.
---
Another twenty minutes of pointless arguing passed before Tory popped her head
into the room, apologising for the interruption, but requiring Laura to take an
urgent call.
Laura was out of her seat before the apology was even finished, smiling
over-apologetically at the Quorum, as she tried not to run from the tedium.
She snatched up the waiting handset, trying to control her rising excitement in
case it was a different call.
“Laura Roslin,” she greeted the caller, as neutrally as she could manage. Then
her smile widened as she listened to the voice on the other end. She rolled her
eyes when he changed the subject to the meeting, and told him, “Probably another
four hours… But I have more important matters to attend to. I’ll be there soon,”
she grinned, saying goodbye, before ending the call, and turning, chirpily, to
head back into the meeting room.
“I’m afraid, I’m going to have to leave this meeting in your hands,” she told
the Quorum, intending that for no-one in particular, as she didn’t really care
which one took control of it as long as she was out of there. “I’m needed on the
Galactica.”
The Aerlon representative was out of her seat protesting before Laura managed to
back out of the room again.
“Madam President, with all due respect, you can’t just leave in the middle of a
meeting without good reason.”
“I have good reason,” Laura smiled, defiantly.
“If there is something on Galactica that requires such urgent presence from you,
then obviously we should know about it,” the hindrance replied.
Laura tilted her head, still smiling, because she just couldn’t help it. “I
disagree,” she told the attentive group. “But, as you asked so nicely… I must go
to the Galactica immediately, as my grandson has just been born.”
This time she did manage to leave before any of the Quorum members had recovered
from their shock and confusion.
---
Laura smiled all the way to her waiting raptor; throughout the trip to
Galactica; and all the way through the ship.
It occurred to her, about three times during the journey, that perhaps her
comment to the Quorum had not been the most sensible. But, each time, she
shrugged it off. There was no way of taking it back now; she would just have to
deal with the consequences. It was like Bill said, people talk about them
anyway. Her starting the rumour herself was just… different.
She arrived at Life Station grinning from ear to ear in anticipation of what was
about to happen. Her security stopped outside the door, and, as she entered,
Doctor Cottle smiled in greeting and waved her in the appropriate direction, and
she nodded her thanks.
The curtain was drawn round the bed, but she could hear familiar voices talking
quietly behind it. Trying not to let her smile grow any further out of control,
she reached out to pull the fabric back slightly.
“Permission to come inside?” she asked softly.
Bill and Lee were both standing beside the bed, where Dee sat with the tiny
bundle in her arms.
“Permission granted,” the new mother smiled at Laura.
She stepped into the cubicle, drawing the curtain closed behind her, and grinned
at Bill as he indicated for her to join him on his side of the bed.
He stepped aside to allow her to pass in front of him, and she trembled slightly
when his hand came to rest on the small of her back when he stepped back up
beside her. Her comment to the Quorum flashed through her mind again – or rather
the possible interpretations of her comment – and she swallowed hard before
addressing Dee.
“How are you feeling?” she asked, as she looked down at the little face and
hands that could just be seen peeping out from the blanket he was securely
wrapped in.
“Wonderful,” Dee gushed. “Exhausted,” she added with a laugh, “But wonderful.”
Laura returned her amusement and reached out her hand to gently stroke the
little one’s fingers. “He’s adorable. Congratulations… Both of you,” she added,
glancing up at Lee.
The young man’s grin was very much like his father’s had been for the last six
months. Laura was used to both by now.
“Thank you,” Lee replied. “Would you like to hold him?”
Laura knew her instant answer to that had immediately been expressed in her
eyes, but out of politeness, actually answered, “I wouldn’t want to disturb
him.”
“No, it’s fine,” Dee replied. “My arm’s going a little numb actually.”
Laura smiled, and glanced, subconsciously, at Bill, immediately wondering why
she was so nervous – she had held many babies before.
“He survived me holding him,” Bill told her with a smirk, slightly increasing
the pressure of his hand on her back in a gesture of reassurance.
She shot him a brief glance through narrowed eyes, before turning back to
receive the baby from Dee.
She settled him in her arms, holding him securely against her. He stirred a
little, his fingers drumming on the edge of the blanket before he settled down
again.
“Zak, this is your grandma,” Lee said softly, and Laura looked up and met his
eyes.
“Zak,” she repeated in a whisper, knowing the sense of warmth that flooded her
heart, must have been nothing compared to what Bill must have felt to learn the
name they had chosen. Subconsciously she lent back into his touch.
Lee nodded and they shared a sentimental smile. “Yes. Grandma, this is Zak,” Lee
smirked, emphasising her new title.
She could feel Bill’s eyes on her. He had been teasing her with that title for
months, but only ever when they were alone, and it had never come up with Lee or
Dee. She knew he was waiting to see her reaction to hearing it from his son’s
lips now, and not just his own.
“About that,” she said, turning to face Bill, schooling her smile into a more
serious expression, “I think I may have, inadvertently, announced Zak’s birth to
the Quorum.”
Bill shrugged. “Don’t look so worried, that’s not a problem. Most of the fleet
knew he was due today.”
She bit her lower lip, some of the anxiety she had earlier shunned managing to
sink in now. “Okay. I may have inadvertently announced the birth of my
grandson to the Quorum,” she clarified.
“Inadvertently?” Bill queried, with an unconvinced smirk.
“Okay, it was quite intentional. They didn’t want to let me leave, and I was
just so…” she paused and looked down at the form nestled against her, her smile
instantly returning. His eyes were open now and watching her, brown and blinking
against the light. “… happy,” she continued, taking in every aspect of his
beautiful appearance. His little tufts of dark hair just visible from under the
blanket; his tiny, perfect little nose; his little lips pursed as he seemed to
examine her as she did him. “It just slipped out.”
She heard Bill chuckle and his arm came up to rest across her shoulders. “It was
bound to happen some time,” he commented.
“Yeah!” Lee agreed emphatically. “Especially given the way you two have been
smiling sappily at each other for the last six months.”
Bill’s head turned to Lee at the same time Laura’s did, and she felt confident
he shared the same shocked expression.
“Oh, come on,” the younger man laughed. “You’ve been even more like a couple
than you usually are.”
“We’ve been waiting for the official announcement,” Dee voiced her agreement,
with a nod.
Laura looked between the new parents, knowing there was nothing she could say in
argument, because she knew what they were saying was true. Every time she and
Bill had seen each other since he told her about ‘their’ grandchild, they would
immediately share excited smiles. Business was then dealt with, and, whenever
possible, conversation then turned to the upcoming birth. They spoke on the
phone on days when they hadn’t been able to see each other – without fail. The
‘yet’ of their ‘affair’ was getting closer and closer, and Laura knew that. It
was difficult enough to convince herself hiding her feelings was necessary,
without the added connection this little bundle of joy had brought.
Presidential responsibilities were being pushed further and further out of her
mind where Bill was concerned. Zak was not only a further link for them, but he
was a reminder for Laura of all the chances she hadn’t taken in her life.
The world had ended. Wasn’t it about time she started to live?
“I’ll take your silence as acceptance of our words,” Lee gloated, interrupting
Laura’s thoughts, and making her aware that Bill had also failed to respond to
the accusations.
This made her smile, and she focussed her attention on the baby in her arms, so
as to hide such a reaction from the others, as she felt a blush creep up her
cheeks. Of course, that angle of her head meant Dee could see exactly what was
going on on her face, and in the corner of her eye Laura saw the other woman’s
smile widen.
---
Bill held back to allow Laura to step out of Life Station first, and her
security escort fell into step behind them as they began the walk to his
quarters.
“He’s so cute,” she said quietly, when they had barely walked four feet.
Bill laughed and nodded his concurrence. “He gets that from my side.”
Laura smothered her outburst of laughter with the back of her hand, and just
giggled to herself for the rest of the walk.
However, this comfortable silence seemed to instantly morph into one heavy with
anticipation the minute they were inside Bill’s quarters.
She stood awkwardly in the centre of the room, while Bill secured the hatch
behind them. The fact that she had been there hundreds of times before suddenly
seemed irrelevant. It felt wrong to assume the right to sit on his sofa without
permission; it was as if this was her first visit, and she didn’t know what to
do with herself.
She mentally kicked herself, and shook her head, inwardly cursing Lee and Dee
(as much as she could bring herself to curse the parents of such a gorgeous
little boy) for bringing up the issue Laura and Bill liked to pretend wasn’t
always in the room with them.
“Would you like a drink?” his voice came from behind her.
She turned to face him, forcing her craziness back down, and allowing the smile
that usually came when her eyes met his.
“That would be lovely,” she replied.
Bill nodded, and crossed the room to get their drinks, and Laura moved to the
sofa, forcing herself to sit, as she had done many times before. She really had
to shake the feeling that the ‘yet’ was getting even closer.
“I saw your face when Lee called you Grandma,” Bill told her as he handed her a
glass of what was no doubt Chief Tyrol’s latest brew.
She accepted the drink, eyeing him curiously, wondering where his comment was
leading.
He continued, as he sat down beside her, “You didn’t believe it was going to
happen, did you?”
She took a sip of her drink, cherishing the warm liquid sliding down her throat,
as she tried to decide how best to respond. “You know that was a reasonable
assumption,” she chose to point out. “We’ve been through the reasons why enough
times.”
Bill nodded. “Yes we have. And each time, I’ve managed to counter each argument
you had.”
Laura smiled shyly. “I guess I didn’t want to get my hopes up. Just in case.”
“I wouldn’t let you down,” Bill promised her.
“I know,” she assured him, not wanting him to think she didn’t trust him. “But
it really wasn’t your decision. Lee and Dee didn’t have to agree to someone
completely unrelated to either of them having such a role in their son’s life.”
“I’d have married you.”
Her eyes widened. “Sorry?”
“If they’d used the ‘completely unrelated’ argument: I’d have married you,” he
said, matter-of-factly, before raising his glass to his lips.
“Would I have had a say in that?” Laura asked, amused, and a little giddy, at
the thought.
Bill looked thoughtful for a second and then said, “Probably not.”
Laura laughed, shaking her head, and looked down at her drink, swirling it round
the glass as she replayed his words in her head.
“It’s irrelevant anyway,” he continued when she was silent, “Obviously Lee and
Dee don’t consider you to be completely unrelated.”
“Oh they made that quite obvious,” Laura retorted, without thinking about the
conversation that would be initiating.
Bill made an affirmative sound. “They’re not very subtle.”
Laura raised her eyes to meet his. “I guess we should get used to that. As soon
as my comment to the Quorum gets out, there’ll be a great many ‘unsubtle’ people
I expect. Many of them members of the press corps.”
“And will you offer them the same response you gave Lee?” Bill enquired, an
amused smile playing on the corners of his lips.
“Silence neither confirms nor denies,” she told him, ignoring his attempt at
teasing her.
“But people tend to take it as confirmation,” he retorted.
“I can’t control what people think… Regardless of what I say, they’ll believe
what they want to believe.”
“And what do you believe?”
This took her by surprise. “What?”
“Do you agree with Lee? Do we already act like a couple anyway?”
“I think we both know the answer to that,” she said, quietly.
“And do you think it’s time we made an official announcement?”
How was he keeping his face so neutral as he asked these questions? Laura
couldn’t read him at all.
“I think…” She paused, if she allowed herself to be completely honest, then the
only answer was yes. “… I think an ‘official announcement’ sounds a little
extreme… I do think,” she took a deep breath for courage, “that it’s time we
talk to each other. I know we’ve talked before, about the many, many reasons why
we shouldn’t pursue a relationship… But, if there is any time in the history of
the Colonies that it was clear life is short, it’s now. I think…” she paused
again, glancing down at her drink while she decided if she really wanted to do
this, then looking back to him with more conviction, “… It’s time we discussed
the reasons why we should pursue a relationship.”
Bill was silent and pensive, and Laura wondered if it was possible to somehow
get her words back.
Then he suddenly said, quite softly, “Love.”
Laura raised her eyebrows. “Sorry?”
“That’s the first reason I’m offering: Love.”
Laura nodded, hearing her heart pounding, and feeling the adrenaline rushing
through her veins. They really were talking about this. They had reached ‘yet’,
and from the expectant way he was looking at her, it was up to her to decide if
they were going to move past it.
She felt her smile sneaking up on her face again, and looked down, in much the
same way she had done in Life Station, to hide her blush. She knew what her
decision was going to be. The inane smiling was really giving it away. She
managed to get it under some semblance of control – she couldn’t have him
thinking she was too excited by this idea – and lifted her head to level with
his again.
“So,” she said, quietly, “Love.” It was a statement.
Bill nodded.
She paused for a second, latching her eyes onto Bill’s and losing all control
over her smile again. And it made her smile even wider, to see that his grew as
hers did.
“Love,” she stated again, now grinning from ear to ear.
Bill nodded again, also grinning from ear to ear.
“Do we really need any other reasons?”
Bill laughed now, and scooted slightly closer to her, raising his free hand and
gently cupping the side of her face.
“Tell the Quorum, and the press, that you’re Zak’s grandmother because you’re in
love with his grandfather,” he told her tenderly.
“Yes, Sir,” she giggled just before his lips met hers, lovingly caressing them
as his thumb stroked her cheek.
It was a brief first kiss – well, technically their second – but the promise it
held did not go unnoticed.
“Let’s have a toast,” Bill said as he pulled his face a short distance away from
hers. “To grandchildren,” he grinned.
Laura nodded, and raised her glass to clink against Bill’s.
“And to grandparents,” she added with a mischievous smirk.
THE END