Chapter 13- I remember.
Title: I remember
Rating: MA (Yes, we come back bringing you sexings)
Characters: Adama/Roslin (pairing) and various others.
Spoilers: Up to and including Revelations. We know of no other spoilers.
Disclaimer: We do not own these characters and are making no profit from this.
Warnings: None.
Notes: Again we apologise for the break in the posting of this, it couldn’t be helped and there will be no more breaks now until we have posted the very last chapter. Thank you all for taking the time to read and comment on this. It really does mean a lot to us to know that it is being read and enjoyed.
Anyway onto the chapter...we hope you enjoy!
Chapter XIII: I remember
He strode down the corridors of the Galactica, his thumping footsteps matching his dark mood. He had seen her on the news, seen her beautiful but smug face in the newspaper and heard her melodic but patronising voice on the talk wireless. And now he was going to meet her.
He ground his teeth and rounded the corner to find the familiar religious celebrity standing patiently in the middle of the corridor talking to a pair of his Mechanics. She was wearing long golden robes that clung classically to her body and her red hair hung in bouncing waves around her shoulders. To her side two aides waited, one a tall gangly man barely out of his teen years and the other dark skinned elderly woman whose hair was wrapped in a bright cloth . Hearing his approach the redhead turned and smiled formally, her hand automatically springing forth to welcome him.
“Colonel Adama, at last we meet.”
He took her hand firmly, steadfastly ignoring the slight jolt that went to his heart as he looked at her, “Priestess Roslin. How may I be of assistance?”
“I was on my way to find you, I didn’t expect you to leave your post,” she smiled softly, slipping her hand out of his forgotten hold. “You know, a networked computerised system would make navigation and communication a whole lot easier on…”
“I really don’t think this is your area of expertise, Priestess,” Adama bit out; “We lost a lot of lives in the first war just because someone wanted a faster computer for an easier life.” He held his arms behind his back in a loose clasp, exposing the rich maroon colour of his sash proudly displaying his medals. The Priestess’ eyes travelled over the black uniform with shiny silver buttons slowly, her smile remained unaffected; she didn’t seem annoyed at his tone in the slightest. Her serene demeanour made him falter.
“I won’t be in your way for long,” she placated, “I was hoping to hitch a ride back to the Colonies; I heard you were going there for maintenance. My ship had run into a spot of bother…”
“And rather than wait for the support crew you thought you would dock with a military vessel that is currently in service to shave a couple of minutes off for your convenience.”
The redhead folded her arms and her eyes flashed with something akin to anger, “Colonel, I am extremely sorry if I have managed to somehow affect the entire operation of this ship just by adding 5 additional people to the mix. That said, you should know that I am on official business for the President. As Minister of …”
He interrupted her with barely contained anger, “If there was a cylon invasion, then actually you would have put the lives of every person on this ship and yours at risk. I don’t care who you are, or who you work for, but I won’t have a self proclaimed prophet mock the running of this ship.”
She held her hands up into a little gesture of surrender, “Colonel, I apologise. The cylons haven’t been heard from in over 40 years, but you are absolutely right.”
Somehow it still sounded patronising to him, and so abruptly the man turned on his heels and strode away.
Black exploded into white as Bill opened his eyes, the day dawning on him lazily. He stretched and groaned languidly, one arm idly falling down to lightly scratch Laura’s pyjama covered back.
The image from his dream made him snort and then chuckle in amused disbelief. Already the memory was fading into a murky, fragmented haze, but he remembered enough to laugh at it.
He jolted slightly when Laura’s hand gently slapped over his mouth. “Shhudup,” she groaned, half asleep.
He laughed harder, his entire body vibrating under hers, making her groan in annoyance. “Bill, I’m sleeping, shush.”
She was a devil about sleeping, waking her up and forcing her out of bed in the morning was something he had fought with from well before they were married.
“I dreamt about you,” he husked, turning them so she was lying on her back - her eyes still shut. Desperately she tried to hang onto her dreamscape and tried to push him away. “I’m still dreaming!”
“No,” he chuckled, kissing her neck hotly. “You sound awake to me.”
She tutted in exasperation and cracked open one eye. “If it’s before eight Bill I will kill you.”
“Eight fifteen,” he grinned, moving to lie over her, pressing his morning erection against her, grinding against her centre.
Her groan of annoyance at being woken up became a throaty groan of pleasure as Bill’s length rested heavily against the inside of her thigh.
Kissing her deeply, Bill pushed up Laura’s pyjama top and caressed her breasts, loving the sleepy warm feel of her. His tongue wetly slid against hers, playfully teasing her - loving these innocent and burden-less mornings with her. This is the life he had dreamed for them -pure and simple.
His mouth found her breasts and she clutched at his hair as he sucked and nuzzled them. With one hand he reached down and shoved his boxers down far enough to free his aching erection.
Panting heavily they worked together to push Laura’s pants down and off. When he made the slow climb up her body, kissing hotly up her legs, she whispered wickedly, “You should apologise for waking me up Mr Adama.” To make her point clear she spread her legs further and smirked down at him.
Kissing the inside of Laura’s thigh, he glanced up at her, eyes drenched with lust. Keeping eye contact with her he kissed upwards, his lips pressing feverishly against trembling flesh.
His nose nudged the meticulously neat hair at her centre, breathing in her musky, heady scent. His mouth watered and cock tightened at being this close to her. There was nothing Bill Adama loved more than this; there was something so intimate and loving about going down on his wife. It was all about trust and sharing and made him feel close to her in a very primal way.
She was wet and flushed, a pretty pink deepening into a womanly crimson - there was nothing about Laura Roslin that wasn’t aching beautiful.
Overcome, he pressed a kiss against her centre, tasting her, feeling her hot wetness on his lips. He paused for a moment, teasing her, before running his tongue over her damp folds, delving deeply, groaning as she bucked against him.
Instantly her hands flew to his head, her fingers weaving into his hair as she cried out, “Yes, Bill!”
His tongue possessed her, sliding through her heat and flicking over her clit. Plunging downwards to tease her opening and thrust inside her. Rhythmically she thrust against his tongue, muttering nonsense and grunting as he pleasured her.
Her fingers tightened in his hair as pleasure ballooned, soared and then exploded, sending burning shards of pleasure throughout her body.
Panting gasps descended into light giggles. “You’re, forgiven.” Laura grinned at her husband as he kissed up her stomach and lay over her.
“Good,” he husked, kissing her as he raised her legs high above his waist.
Poising himself at her entrance he stole another kiss, “You need a new method of punishment, it doesn’t deter me.”
He slid home, a groan ripping loudly from his throat.
“I like that method of punishment,” she gasped. “I have a nice time.”
He chuckled and started to thrust hard into her, “Me too.”
They moved together energetically, enjoying the easy and uncomplicated nature of their coupling. Sometimes it was good to have simple sex, not deep and sensual love making that clawed deeply at the soul and dealt with words of eternity and never ending love. Sometimes, a good morning frak was exactly what was needed.
***
Bill kissed her on her cheek and let go of her hand. “I’ll see you later then.”
She nodded giving him a warm smile and strode off towards the surgery. He watched her disappear into the distance, just as he always did. He never knew why, but he felt compelled to stand rooted to the spot until she was barely visible.
He turned on his heels and headed towards Tigh’s house in the centre of town. He had been spending more and more time with his old friend in recent weeks. The past was left firmly behind the two soldiers now and both looked forward to their futures: Bill with Laura and Tigh with his new family.
It had surprised everyone how well Tigh had adapted to being a father, he was almost a changed man; still a little too rough around the edges and still drinking a little too much, but he made a good dad. It also appeared there was some genuine affection between him and Natashi now; maybe it was the children that made that difference.
Bill ambled up the cement paved walkway to the Tigh’s front door; he noticed that it had been painted a bright red since his last visit. He raised his hand to knock when it flung open and Natashi’s beaming face greeted him.
“Bill!” she exclaimed grabbing his arm and ushering him into the main room. “Saul, Bill is here!”
“I gathered that by your enthusiastic shout of his name just a second ago.” Saul quipped as he walked into the room with one of his sons squirming in his arm.
Bill stifled a chuckle and stepped forward to shake his old friends hand heartily. “Bit of a fidget is he?” Bill asked, nodding his head towards the infant kicking his legs out and squealing as Tigh held him.
“Damn right he is, never sits still for more than a minute unless he is sleeping.”
Nodding towards his other son laying on his belly on a small rug and playing with a rattle, Saul added, “William suits his name, he just sits there and scowls all day.”
“He is just a thinker.” Natashi piped up in her babies defence.
“Are you telling me our one month old child is thinking of anything other than I am hungry or I need my diaper changed?” Saul laughed leaning in and kissing her on her cheek as he handed her their little boy. “Next you will be telling me he can read the scrolls backward.” He added, gaining him a playful slap on his arm.
Bill stood there amused by their banter and for a brief moment found his mind wondering to what he and Laura would be like if they had children.
His hand shielded his eyes from the blinding glare of the sun. In the distance a little red headed girl darted out from a nearby tent, running towards him. In one hand she carried a small stuffed toy and with the other she was waving at him frantically.
He quickly shook his head.
“Drink Bill?” Saul offered, walking over to a small wooden table in the corner of the room and lifting up a decanter.
“Just a small one,” Bill replied.
“I’ll have your half then.” Tigh winked, handing Bill a glass.
“Cheers!” Bill clinked his glass against Saul’s.
Saul nodded and downed his drink in one swift motion letting out a gentle sigh as he finished. Bill put his glass to his lips and followed suit. As his head tilted back he was suddenly in his quarters aboard Galactica. It was different though, the layout all wrong: the plush red rugs that gave light relief against the cold hard metallic deck were now a rich blue colour. His uniform was now a dark shade of green with a bright yellow stripe around the cuff. He was pouring himself glass after glass of some dark golden liquid from a silver jug.
Turning around he became aware of another presence in the room. Saul Tigh. But something wasn’t quite the same there either. It suddenly dawned on Bill that Tigh still had the use of both eyes; the eye patch no longer existed.
“I know that you've been spending a lotta time interrogating the Six, but now the brig guards tell me that every time you order them out, you turn off the cameras,” Bill began, setting his drink and walking slowly towards his XO.
“I’m not torturing her, if that's what you're worried about.” Tigh assured him.
“I’m not. That I could almost understand. This I can't. Cottle tells me she's pregnant. What the frak have you been thinking, Colonel? How many of our secrets have you told this thing?”
“Are you questioning my loyalty to you and this fleet?”
Bill moved closer still to Tigh, his face inches from his friends and his voice became threateningly low, “Your loyalty? I need more than your loyalty. You're my first officer, I need judgment. I need your competence. You're jeopardizing this ship, putting it at risk because of your weaknesses.”
“My weaknesses?” Tigh threw back.
“Yeah, your weaknesses!”
“You're risking all our lives-for what? Our missing pilots? No, for a woman! A frakking woman!”
“You watch what you frakkin' say about that woman! She's is the woman I.... “ Bill paused and chose his words, “she is not some frakkin' skinjob that I've been banging! What do you think Ellen would say about this?”
“Leave Ellen out of this.” Tigh warned.
“What do you think Ellen would say about her husband impregnating a frakkin' Cylon prisoner?” Bill goaded.
“You motherfrakker! What would you say if I told you I was one of those frakkin’ cylons. One of your final frakkin’ five! Huh what would you do then?”
“Don’t frak with me Tigh.”
“I lied to you Bill.”
“Shut the frak up Saul,” Bill warned, his fists clenching and unclenching.
“You remember that music I told you about? When we reached the Nebula? I thought it was in the ship, well it turns out it was a signal, some crazy frakked up cylon signal. It switched me on. I’m one of the five...” Tigh continued, his voice menacing.
Bill stood there fixed to the spot, shaking his head in disbelief. “Quit frakkin’ with me. I have known you for thrity years!”
“I told you. I didn’t find out until the nebula.”
“On New Caprica, you were in captivity. Perhaps they put something...an implant. Or something that makes you feel like this.” Bill reasoned with him, “Let’s go see Doc Cottle.”
Tigh grabbed hold of Bill’s shoulders, shaking him slightly. “Listen to me. I am a cylon; I fooled you for months now.”
Suddenly something took over Bill, a rage so dark he wasn’t in control of himself anymore, he wasn’t seeing his friend of thirty years anymore - he was seeing the enemy.
“Get your hands off of me!” Bill growled. “Guards!”
The hatch lock spun on the entrance door to his quarters and the marine guards ran in, guns cocked and ready. Their faces were confused as they were only greeted by the Admiral and his XO.
“Give me your side arm,” Bill ordered the nearest guard and holding his hand out to him.
“What Bill, you gonna shoot me?” Tigh questioned. “Go ahead.”
Bill raised the gun and pointed it at Saul’s chest his hand trembling as he cocked the gun.
“Do it.” Saul pushed, stepping forward so the gun was almost touching his body. “What are you waiting for? I am one of them...the cylon scum that have your girlfriend captured and doing gods knows what to her. That’s if she is still alive.”
“Shut the frak up,” Bill shouted through gritted teeth.
“What Bill? Did I hit a nerve?” Tigh stepped closer still so that the gun was now in contact with his chest. He put his hand on the barrel and jabbed it several times in his chest. “Do it!”
Bill could feel his world crashing down before him, the woman he loved was gone; the uncertainty of whether he would ever see her again was killing him.
“You don’t got the guts, just like you haven’t got the guts to except she is gone. Laura is gone, Bill”
His best friend, the man he thought of as a brother for thirty years was the enemy. He was one of them, the bastards that had taken Laura from him.
Slowly Bill closed his eyes and squeezed the trigger. He heard a soft groan as his friend hit the ground and the shocked gasps of his guards. Everything started to spin, the gun dropped from his hands as he fell to his knees. “What have I done...?” he whispered.
“Bill?” Tigh shook his friend gently by the shoulders. “Bill. Are you ok?”
“Sorry. I...felt a bit faint...the room...hot...” Bill stammered slipping his fingers into his shirt collar and pulling it away from his neck as if the material was restricting.
Saul took his friends elbow and guided him to a chair. “Sit down man; you look as if you have seen a ghost!”
“Drink. I need a drink.” Bill stated.
Saul poured another drink and watched as his friend, with a trembling hand took large gulps from the glass.
“Thanks.” Bill smiled slightly as he handed Saul back the glass.
“You’re welcome Bill.” Saul nodded. “You need to see Cottle?”
“No. I am fine. Just a funny turn. I feel better now.” He reassured him, standing up from the chair.
“If you are sure.” Tigh smiled, still looking concerned.
“So how are things?” Bill asked, desperate to change the subject.
Natashi re-appeared minus the two boys. “I put them down for a nap,” she announced. “Did you tell Bill about yesterday?”
Bill shot Saul a questioning look. “Yesterday?”
“It’s nothing really,” Saul protested.
“It doesn’t sound like nothing Saul. Spit it out,” Bill insisted sitting back down again.
“Just some riff raff causing trouble.”
Natashi walked further into the room and sat down on the couch opposite Bill. “We were out walking with the boys. We needed food...”
“A group of youths surrounded us, just shouting abuse really,” Tigh interrupted.
“Any idea who they were?” Bill asked.
“Never seen ‘em before. Probably from one of the service ships.”
Bill shifted slightly in his seat. “What were they saying?” He already knew the answer to that question and after what Cottle had told Laura, it made him nervous. The last thing they needed was the breakdown of the Human/Cylon alliance.
***
Laura sat opposite Jack, in his office, copying him by smoking languidly.
“Since when do you make a habit out of this?” he asked, staring at cloud of smoke surrounding her.
Laura released the cigarette and looked at it, “Since I know I don’t die from this.”
Jack chuckled, “The memories are coming back huh?”
Laura nodded and took another drag on her cigarette, “Bits and pieces.”
“Last time,” she started, “I had a heart problem.”
Leaning back in his chair, letting his feet rest on his desk Jack replied, “That’s right.”
“I survived that as well.”
Sucking on his cigarette, his words came out with the smoke, “Yeah.”
She sat on the edge of the medibed, her legs crossed at the ankles, softly she murmured, “Hello.”
“I’m Doctor Cottle,” he said by habit, “What can I do for you, young lady?”
She took a thready breath, her chest heaving slightly, “Before the invasion I was diagnosed with a heart condition.”
She always survived. Each time she was cured, often moments before death. Sometimes she had a terminal illness; sometimes nothing was wrong with her at all. Sometimes she nearly met her end in other ways: narrowly missing a bullet, getting pneumonia and even during labour in a couple of extremely rare occasions. It seemed that no matter what happened to her, the universe desperately tried to keep her alive long enough, through miraculous cures and solutions, to allow her to try and succeed. If genocide didn’t get her the only thing that killed Laura Roslin was old age. The universe - or a deity - seemed to be on their side, trying hard to give each lifetime the best chance to beat the fateful circle they were stuck in.
“Life finds a way,” he said cryptically.
Bill was blessed with the same survivial instinct. In this lifetime alone they had survived two wars, Kobol, New Caprica, numerous cylon encounters and hostage attempts. Laura faced terminal cancer twice and Bill took bullets to the chest and lived to see another day. Anyone could see the miracle there.
“You’re supposed to be here for a check up,” Cottle groused, as she reached for another cigarette.
“I think I’ll be fine.”
Jack raised an eyebrow, “Don’t get cocky young lady.”
She waved him off, “I’m not, I’m just enjoying life. I feel as if a weight has been lifted from me.”
“It’s not over yet you know. I’ve seen it all go wrong well after this stage.”
“Am I being complacent?” she questioned. “No I’m not. I’m being cautiously optimistic. Nothing is perfect I know this. There are fractions still violently opposing the union of cylon and human. There is a long way to go. But, you know what Jack? We are in a good place. I never thought we would reach this stage. As I see it, I’m alive, I’m married, we all survived these potentially fatal revelations, the people are progressing, civilisation is finding a way. Yes, a lot can go wrong, but so much is going right.” She pointed at him with her cigarette, “So many times I’ve nearly given up, even a week ago I was seriously concerned about the future. Now at least I can envisage one and everything is starting to make sense.”
Jack raised his cigarette to her, reminiscent of raising a glass, “So say we all.”
They shared a smile and then jumped slightly as a nurse burst into the office, “Doctor, you better come out here.”
With the door open Jack and Laura could hear the source of the commotion. Gaius Baltar’s familiar anxious voice sounded from the waiting room. “No, yes, I - will you shut up?! No, not you… listen I have a headache, I need to see Cottle, I think I have shrapnel or something in my head…”
Cottle stood up and marched towards the door. “Damn fool. There’s no frakking shrapnel.”
Laura followed Cottle out into the waiting area and was taken aback by the sight in front of her. Baltar’s hair was greasier than normal, his eyes had a wild look about them and he seemed to be batting an invisible force away, pausing every so often to say, “No! Will you stop that?” The nurse and receptionist were trying to reason with him and seemed unsure whether to be frightened or amused.
“What the hell is going on out here?” Cottle demanded.
Gaius turned sharply, “I have a headache and…” Hs voice trailed off as his eyes fell upon Laura. Comically he glanced from Laura to a space at his left. He spent the next few seconds looking back and forth between the space to his left and Laura Adama - back and forth. Eventually he faced forward and hesitantly said, “Laura?”
Cottle and Laura exchanged glances before she replied, “Yes Gaius?”
“Oh Laura!” he said enthusiastically, stepping forward and tripping slightly. “Hi! It’s good to see the real you. I mean you. You! You know, you, and real and…” His voice trailed off and he turned once more to Cottle who was quietly smoking as he watched the bizarre situation.
“I have a headache,” Baltar moaned at Jack, and tapped his head.
“No kidding,” Jack replied. Reaching into his pocket as if expecting Baltar’s visit he handed him a bottle of pills. “Take one now and then one every 4 hours.”
Gaius grabbed the bottle and quickly fiddled with the lid, shaking the small box until a pill fell free. “This helps with…”
“Headaches,” Jack said, “It helps with headaches.”
“Right, good… yes that’s good,” Baltar rambled as he threw a pill in his mouth and swallowed it.
“Anything else?” Cottle asked.
“I was wondering,” Baltar said in a dramatic whisper, “if there was a chance of another brain scan. I know last time you couldn’t find anything but I really - really - think there’s someone in my head.”
“Someone?” Laura questioned.
Baltar turned to look at her and frowned, “What?”
“You said someone was in your head.”
The Minister blinked a few times and then laughed. “No I said - I mean - something. SomeTHING is in my head. Not someone… that would be, silly.”
Suddenly everything made perfect sense to Laura. All his strange behaviour, how he had talked to himself since the day they met, how he lurched around as if being pushed or touched. There was someone in his head. Or at least he thought so.
“Mr Baltar,” Laura asked softly, in a low tone, “Is there someone in your head?”
Baltar copied her quiet whisper and hopefully he asked, “Is there someone in yours?”
“No,” Laura replied, her brow furrowing.
“Yeah, me neither,” he laughed to hide his disappointment. “I don’t hear voices! That’s absurd.” He shoved the pill bottle in his pocket and patted it. “Well thank you, I’m sure this will work wonders. I have a sermon to give and…” He glanced at Laura, “HEY! You should come! Hear the word of God.”
Laura nodded, “I’ll pop up.”
Baltar grinned widely and shook her hand roughly, “Great. Good. That’s brilliant.”
When he turned to go Laura called back, “Mr Baltar? I think the word you are spreading, of unity and peace between cylon and human, is a good thing. You are doing a good job.”
He spun on his heels to face her. “It IS important, Laura! Yes, it really is. I knew you would see the light. She embraces the will of God,” he said to the space next to him.
Laura considered him almost sadly, knowing exactly what his behaviour represented. The decent into madness Cottle had promised. She knew how it would all end and for the second time in her life she felt compassion towards him. “Gaius, I think your work now goes a long way to making up for the past. Redemption perhaps.”
He travelled the room quicker than either Laura or Cottle anticipated and within the blink of an eye had grabbed her and kissed her firmly on the lips. Pulling away, his teary gaze meeting her shocked one, he grabbed her by the shoulders and kissed her again, “Thank you!”
And then he was gone, marching unsteadily out of the hospital, banging into the doorway slightly as he went.
Cottle patted her shoulder and mused, “That’s something not to tell the Old Man.”
Eyes still wide Laura nodded, “You got that right.”
Cottle gave her a wicked look, “Bill, Baltar… one day I’ll get a kiss in I suppose.”
When Laura agave him a suspicious sideways glance he coughed uncomfortably and strode away, yelling at his nurses to get back to work.
***
Bill left the Tighs in a melancholy mood; the flashback had put his mind in a state of unease. His feet pounded on the hard soil, taking him in no particular direction, just happy to walk. He pushed his hands into the pockets of his jacket, hunching his shoulders against the cold ceaseless bitter wind.
He wondered if Saul remembered the past; if he knew what he had done back then...whenever it was.
The thought that he could have shot his best friend, cylon or not, frightened him. Bill was a soldier, killing came with the job. It was always kill your enemy before they kill you. Survival meant you shot first and thought about it later, but Tigh was different. They were on the same side, the first cylon war (and apparently every other cylon war) they flew vipers on the same side. They were together on the freight ships, Bill even got Tigh commissioned back into the Colonial fleet, serving under him on the Atlantia.
After everything they had been through together, during the four years spent on the run searching for Earth, why would he shoot him? Tigh had stood by his side in CIC, he was loyal. It hurt, even if it was in the past: even if it was a different lifetime.
Bill let out a long, drawn out sigh and decided he would probably never know why and that he couldn’t change the past. He took comfort in the fact this time had been different, Saul was still alive.
“Hey, Admiral!” came a familiar voice from behind him.
Bill smiled and turned around. “What do you hear Starbuck?”
She grinned at him and fell into step alongside him as he continued to walk. “Nothin’ but the rain, Sir.”
“Well grab your gun and bring in the cat” Bill finished as she snaked her arm through his.
“Right you are!”
“How’s things Kara?” Bill asked, looking straight ahead, somewhere into the distance.
“Not too bad. I have just finished my stint up on Galactica.”
“All quiet?”
“Nothing to report, Sir. Helo has taken over command for the week, so I’m off duty,” Kara replied, happily making idle chit chat with the man she considered the closest thing to a father. “More going on down here actually!”
“Oh?” Bill questioned.
“Yeah. Some commotion up at Baltar’s church, or whatever it is he is calling it. I heard people talking about it earlier. He is giving a sermon. Could be interesting. Thought I might take a look.” She grinned and tugged gently on his arm. “Wanna come and join in the fun?”
“I can’t see that man having anything to say that would be of interest to me,” Bill scoffed.
“Where’s your sense of adventure Admiral?” Kara teased.
Bill sighed. “I suppose, I don’t have anything better to do.” He wouldn’t admit he was as intrigued as she was.
Kara chuckled. “Come on ‘Old Man’ let’s go. Wouldn’t wanna miss anything.”
“Less of the Old Man,” Bill grumbled.
Bill stormed into the Brig, Dee’s words filling his head.
“The President’s been shot.”
Blind rage filled him, a mood so dark, at that moment he was capable of anything. “Give me the room!” He boomed to the Brig guards.
His eyes fell upon Kara. She backed slowly away from him until the backs of her legs collided with the wall of the cell and she could go no further.
Bill entered the cell unarmed, he didn’t trust himself not to pick up a firearm and shoot her as she had done to Laura.
“Admiral...”
“What? You are sorry? Your finger slipped on the trigger? IT WAS AN ACCIDENT?” Bill almost screamed at her. “Why Kara?”
“She wouldn’t listen. You wouldn’t listen,” Kara stammered.
Bill moved closer. “You are lucky your frakkin’ aim was off. YOU COULD HAVE KILLED HER!”
“I’m sorry…”
“Sorry?! You are frakkin’ sorry?!”
“I saw Earth.”
“Earth,” Bill repeated through clenched teeth. “So that makes everything ok then. Kara Thrace saw Earth.”
“The smell of it, the lush green fields, deep blue oceans...”
Bill scoffed, “Kara. You died. Lee saw your ship blow up...I mourned for you...”
“I swear to you, it was like I had been there before, like I never left,” Kara continued, her voice cracking as she fought back the tears.
Bill stared at her for a brief moment, his breathing deepened as he tried to control the rage inside of him. “You have just screwed over the one ally you had. Who’s gonna help you now huh? Who do you have left now?”
“Not you. You changed, what happened to you? Now you’re nothing but Laura Roslin’s wet-nurse,” Kara answered him, her voice now low and collected.
Bill grabbed her by the lapels of her jacket and threw her to the ground: his face mere inches from hers. His eyes searching hers for something, perhaps for conformation she was his Kara who had come back. Not some cylon replica.
“Good to know you still care, Sir!” she said finally, leaning up slightly.
Bill pushed her back down hard against the deck, causing her to smash her head against the Brig floor. He stood and marched quickly away from her; pulling back the door to the cell and slamming it shut. From outside her cell he spoke to her in a low voice, “I’m not going to risk the lives of this fleet on the off chance you may have been to Earth. Laura Roslin has got us this far and I won’t go against her on this.”
He left her there, screaming after him. What she was saying he couldn’t make out and he didn’t care. He could never, and would never, forgive her for what she had done.
“Gods, it is packed to the hilt!” Kara exclaimed, drawing Bill out of his vision. “There must be hundreds of people crammed in there!”
Bill merely nodded as they pushed their way through the crowds and towards the entrance to the church. Kara spotted Anders lent against the wall, separate from the rest of the crowd.
“I’ll see you in there in a bit,” Kara told Bill and walked off in the direction she had seen her former husband. With his mind consumed with sombre thoughts, Bill paid little attention to where she was going. Instead he began again to push his way through the crowd and into the church.
***
Astonishingly, Laura met Baltar’s congregation before she even got inside the church. The crowd was so large it poured out the double doors and sprawled into a crowded jumble outside.
Shaking her head, she stood just off from the gathering - staggered at how Baltar’s following had grown. She scanned the crowd and was pleasantly surprised to see how many human/cylon groupings there were. A group of human women stood chatting with two Sixes. Just in front of them one of the Leoben’s stood hand in hand with a human female. To Laura’s left an Eight stood with an older man around Bill’s age and the couple were waving towards another human group.
She could almost believe they were there: The Promised Land. That idealised reality in which human and cylon lived in perfect unity, deserving of a future. Almost. She couldn’t miss the scowls and angry body language of some spectators, solo people mingling around, or small groups glaring at the human/cylon couples.
Others seemed unsure, glancing at the couples with guarded interest.
“It’s not over yet you know. I’ve seen it all go wrong well after this stage.”
Pushing through the crowds Laura made her way inside the church, finding little resistance as people readily moved out of her way.
Leaning against a pillar she found her husband watching the stage with an intent stare.
“Hey,” she smiled, running her hand over his arm.
He smiled at her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, “Hey.”
She joined him in staring at the stage, seeing what had made him so curious. Gaius Baltar was talking to one of his followers while another one helped him on with his robes. Every now and then the Minister would shout or talk to… nothing. Ranting into the air.
Behind them a man scoffed, “The Minister looks like a frakking psycho to me.”
In response a woman tutted, “He’s a genius; he receives the word of God.”
“Word of a cylon lover…” came the muttered reply.
“If you don’t like the word then get out of the church racist!”
The argument died down as Baltar stumbled onto the stage, lurching forward and if pushed by an invisible entity.
“He’s getting worse Bill,” Laura murmured.
“Yeah, couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy.”
Laura gave him a weary stare and then redirected her attention to the stage.
The crowd exploded in a cacophony of cheers, arms flying into the air, people - mainly women - jumping up and down.
“Brothers,” Baltar cried out as the crowd quieted down, “Sisters, welcome! I come here today to ask you one question. One question. What - are - people?”
The crowd became a buzz of whispering and murmurs.
Baltar cried out louder, “What are people? What are people?” He pointed to a random man in the crowed, “You - are you a person?”
“Yes,” he said hesitantly.
“Of course you are!” Baltar yelled back. “And you,” he pointed to a lady in the middle of the crowd, “Are you are person?”
“Yes,” she shouted back.
“You!” Baltar yelled, pointing at several people, including cylons, “Are you people?!”
“Yes!” They all yelled back; the crowd wildly enthusiastic, people screaming out their answers despite not being asked. A roaring of ‘yes’s’ filled the air.
“Look around you,” Baltar called. “Look around you. Look to your left, to your right, look. PEOPLE. These are people. We are people. We are all people. We are all people in the eyes of God. We are all people!”
The congregation cheered in response, some chanting the word ‘people’, others randomly shouting their agreement, praising their leader.
“So, I ask again. WHAT ARE PEOPLE?!”
“We are!”
Amidst the screaming and crying out Laura turned to Bill and whispered into his ear, her lips brushing his skin as she spoke, “You gotta admit Bill - he’s good.”
Bill raised his eyebrow at her, unwilling to praise the man in any way.
“So why,” Baltar yelled over the crowd, “do we persecute people? People! Our brothers and sisters? Our kin? Why do we look at one man and call him ‘cylon’ and look at another and call him ‘human’? WORDS. These are words. TITLES. Designed to keep us separate. Let me tell you something,” he hollered, “there are no cylons, there are no humans - there are only people! PEOPLE!”
The crowd exploded in frenzy, cheering and yelling echoing off the metallic church walls.
But not everyone was as enthusiastic, and as the man behind her yelled out, “TRAITOR!” Laura remembered a similar scene from a long time ago…
Gaius Baltar stood with his wife, one of the Sixes, at a podium, he was wearing a suit. He was talking about the abolition of the title ‘cylon’ in favour of everyone being considered the same life-form, under the bracket term ‘personhood.’ It was a rousing speech.
A man had stood up in the crowd, snatching a gun from the inside pocket of his jacket. Shoving his way through the crowd he shot at Baltar, hitting him three times in the chest, sending him tumbling backwards, a rain of crimson exploding into the air.
Six screamed and grabbed for him, blood splattering over the front of her white dress…
Laura broke out of her vision as she was roughly shoved aside, the man from behind her pushing past her. She heard people scream ‘gun!’ Looking at the stage she saw a similar scene, shots were fired and Baltar fell backwards.
This time there was no-one up there to catch him.