Hugs fix everything right?

[oldmanhusker]

CHARACTERS: William Adama and Laura Roslin
LOCATION: Passenger quarters
WARNINGS: None
SUMMARY: Worrying. Snuggling. Schmoopiness.
NOTES: Backdated to after the colonial drama


Some things were simpler on Tranquility. Despite the presence of one Cylon, the threats here had generally been different. And a lot less likely to specifically target the president. There was danger, of course, but it was more of a general sort.

But Leoben's arrival has brought all that baggage from home back here. And Bill didn't care for that one bit. He'd made that clear enough. But truce or not, there were feelings he could hardly demonstrate in front of an old enemy.

Which is why he waits until they're behind closed doors before gathering Laura up in his arms. As if he could protect her from it all, just like this. He'll certainly try.

Comments

[cabins]

Old habits die hard and this is not an exception. She'd had to act as she had. She had a duty to her people; a duty to these people. Titles didn't matter, but what Leoben and Caprica had done mattered. To all of them.

Back in the quarters they shared, Laura wrapped her arms around Bill, though she was not the one to initiate it. "We keep our eyes on them." Somehow she was the more stoic of the two.

[oldmanhusker]

They always had duty. It was the force that dominated their lives. "We always do." What choice do they have? They were coming from a place of war. You couldn't get careless about that.

But behind closed doors, things could be a bit different. He could be honest about things he would never admit to the Cylons. "I was worried about you."

[cabins]

Ah. That was better. And she was almost sure that was the first time he'd said something like that to her. Leaning in, she pressed her forehead against his. "I knew you'd find me. I knew you'd understand."

And he'd come charging in to save the day. "I love you."

[oldmanhusker]

"I've been waiting so long to hear those words." Could they just stay like this forever? Just him and her, and no outside world intruding? They couldn't, but for a moment, it was a nice thought.

"You were pretty clear about what you needed." To him, at any rate. Maybe not to anyone else, but he was the one who had needed to understand. "I would never let him hurt you."

[cabins]

"Thank you," she said breathlessly. Being here with him was a moment of peace that she hadn't had since the car crash. Just her and Bill, holding each other.

"I know- I've had feelings for you for so long, but the moment you charged in- Gods, Bill. We took too long to realize." And now look at them. M

"I knew you'd do anything to find me. If he tries anything else..." He was dead, far from a resurrection ship. Unless the pods brought him back. Let's hope not. "Don't you ever dare leave me, William Adama."

[oldmanhusker]

"Far too long." He's tried to remember why they'd waited. All the reasons they'd given themselves seemed so... foolish now. Now that he knew what it could be like. Maybe they were just a pair of fools.

"I could never leave you." The very thought. He can't even fathom it. He doesn't want to. Not when they're finally together after all these years. He couldn't leave her any more than he could let a Cylon take her without fighting to his last breath. "For the rest of our lives, all I want is to be with you."

[cabins]

Frak those reasons. They didn't matter here. Here, where they had some semblance of a normal life. At least, one together. Perhaps when they reached Earth they would have it again. But for now...

"Here, back on Galactica. We'll find some way to remind ourselves when we get back. But I know I felt the same way about you there as I do here." She ran her fingers through his salt-and-pepper hair, looking into his eyes. "I'm just sorry it took us fighting to realize. Took Cylons to say it. I love you, William Adama." It sounded so right.

[oldmanhusker]

"Laura, I love you more than words can say. I have for years." He brushes a hand over her cheek as he gazes back. They'd been foolish. For far, far too long. It should never have taken all of that to get them to finally admit it.

"When I said the rest of our lives. That wasn't just the fear talking." Oh, Leoben had scared him, no arguing with that. But that fear had only brought up feelings that were already waiting. "I don't want to waste another minute."

"Laura." To think there was a time he wouldn't have ever called her that. It seems a lifetime ago. They'd survived the end of the world together. After an experience like that, there was no questioning that they could never know what the future would hold. So why wait? Why had they waited? "Will you marry me?"

[cabins]

When Laura was a child, she used to daydream what her engagement would be like. Fancy dinners, roses, a violinist, champagne. She'd be absolutely beautiful, and her fiance would be charming and handsome, and they'd cry and make love and have thousands of babies and it would be perfect. Never in a million years did she think she'd be in her 50s, in the arms of a windowed admiral who had once had her arrested. And it certainly wouldn't have been on a space ship.

But that didn't make it any less perfect.

"Bill- Gods-!" She gasps, taking her hands off of him to cover her lips, blinking back tears that had arrived somewhere in all of this, ignoring the trails they'd left on her cheeks. "Yes! Gods, yes. I'll marry you!" Hopefully he could take being the First Husband.

[oldmanhusker]

This wasn't his first time down this path. But such a different approach. The first time, it had been about doing the right thing. And they'd gone all out on the ceremony, as if that could make it seem like a better idea.

But obviously once bitten wasn't twice shy. This time, he'd asked because he genuinely wanted them to spend the rest of their lives together.

He reaches up to brush the tears from her cheeks, smiling a smile seen by very few among the Fleet. But then, who else could make him feel like this? "Hearing that makes me so happy." They could call him whatever the frak they wanted as long as he got to marry Laura.

[cabins]

"And saying it, hearing that question from you-" It's somewhere between a laugh and the sob that Laura lets out as she holds on to her now fiance. "Even if it's only for here, we'll remember if we go back." She was sure of it. Somehow, in dreams, perhaps, amidst the ones of the opera house.

"My gods- I feel like I should say something," but the president was a loss for words, instead, tossing her head back and laughing for a brief moment, before leaning in to kiss Bill again, cupping his face in her hands. "Nobody in the entire universe makes me as frakking happy as you do, Bill."

[oldmanhusker]

"We'll know in our hearts." Which might be one of the cheesier sentiments he had ever expressed. And he was perfectly okay with that. She'd reawakened things he'd thought long over even before everything had changed.

And maybe he should tell her that. "I never expected any of this at my age, after everything." And yet here they were. Holding each other. Kissing each other.

[cabins]

"Me, neither," she agreed, close enough to share his breath. She'd never been married. "But there's no one else I would rather share it with." Now there were a million things to discuss, but, she didn't want to. She wanted to stay here, and enjoy Bill. To feel his closeness, hear his heartbeat, touch his skin, taste it.

"I wish I had something brilliant to say," she laughed, blushing and looking like a teenager in love. She felt like one. "But everything sounds so stupid." So they can just stay here and giggle and kiss and be in love.

[oldmanhusker]

Kissing is good too. Who needs words? Sure, they were great for inspiring thousands to keep going another hard scrabble day. But on a one on one basis, he could certainly come up with better uses for tongues. "Maybe that's okay. You make me feel young and foolish in love again."

What a shame they forgot how to be foolish, as they aged. That they had to give those things up at the end of the world.

But the world hadn't ended here. And no one looked to them to inspire thousands. They could just be... them.

[cabins]

She can't stop blushing, can't stop beaming, even as tears keep streaming down her cheeks. Happy tears- lords, it had been some time since she'd been able to experience those. Clinging to Bill, here and now, this is the only thing that mattered.

"I don't see why we shouldn't indulge those feelings," and she's kissing him again, everywhere, her arms around his neck. Why waste any more time? They'd done that enough.

[oldmanhusker]

"Me neither." He's not sure he could do anything else right now. Not with this overwhelming rush of emotions. "There's nothing here to stop us."

Nothing to stop them from kissing endlessly. Except possibly the ability of legs to endure standing around, clinging to each other like this in the face of all these feelings. But there's a simple solution to that problem, which he seizes upon by guiding her toward the most convenient place to continue this while sitting down.

[cabins]

Laura isn't going to complain about that.

"Nothing at all." He can carry her all he wants, her back against the nearest solid object as she kisses him. They've made love before. There's no reason to not, when they're their age, no decorum, anything. But this... As them, fully and completely?

Well, she'll just keep kissing him, drawing her hand down his chest.