Office Hours, Monday Afternoon

[hera_rises]

Laura certainly hadn't planned on going into the office today. In fact, she'd planned to try and get a walk-in appointment at the spa -- chiefly to work out the knots currently tied into her shoulders. She hoped that doing so would help her sleep, something she had been missing quite a bit the past few nights

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[hera_rises]

"Hmm. Knossos. One of the places I've always wanted to go." She smiled, shaking her head. "And I did make it there -- once. But I was so busy at the conference I was attending, I never got to see very much. What I did see quickly convinced me that life there was very different from Caprica City."

Pausing, she glanced down at her coffee cup. Knossos was still there, of course, but she would never see it now; would never be able to drag Bill there, and listen to him grumble about "all the wackos." Because he would, you know, she thought, stifling a giggle.

With that thought, she realized that, despite the occupation of New Caprica, she was happy; she had a sense of direction now, even without the presidency. And her relationship with Bill -- however they finally classified it -- was something she never could have pursued while still in office. Being a normal, every day school teacher certainly had its perks. Even if you are leading a rebellion in your spare time...

Laura sipped at her coffee. "One thing I've learned -- we always try to rush things, anticipate things. Maybe..." She stopped, pursing her lips. At length, she shook her head. "I'd say we should let the Gods reveal themselves in time, but that'd be hypocritical of me. Despite everything, I can be very impatient."

[dbiers]

"You'll have to come back someday. Mum and Dad and I have done a lot of traveling over the Colonies but its a great place which to come home." D smiled, nostalgic for more than just the place she still thought of as her first home. D laughed. "Yes, very much. I've been there a few times. Went there with my friend Krycek and Cally last year for an assignment, actually." There might have been something in the way she said friend that gave her away, or, you know, not.

"Waiting on Gods is time consuming. I think, sometimes, we have to take matters into our own hands and let the Gods fall as they may." D took a sip of her coffee and remembered why she'd come. She didn't want to ask these things, but she had to know. Desperately had to know. "At least, in certain cases. Miss, I... I was wondering. How did really read field reports on the cylons or was there something more... tangible at your disposal?"

[hera_rises]

Laura hedged a bit, considering her coffee cup a moment before answering. "I..." She stopped, shaking her head. Removing her glasses, she looked across the desk to D'anna. "In my time, I served as President of the Colonies. I had access to -- and spoke with -- several different Cylon models, in addition to reading the field reports.

"So, yes, something more tangible, but a combination."

She left out that they were after action reports. There was always the possibility that the future Ms. Biers faced wasn't the same, that somewhere along the way, the Colonies survived. Why worry her with an apocalypse when there might not be one after all?

[dbiers]

"President? WOW..." D let that sink in a bit, the cogs of her brain turning. This sorta hurt her head but thanks to the weirdness that was Fandom Island, she totally understood this was possible "So...you're either from a different set of Colonies than me, or you from my future, or possibly past? But past doesn't make sense 'cause I think I'd remember if a President of the Colonies were my teacher. I mean, there's only been a colonial government for thirty-six years. And there's not been a heck of a lot of presidents, ya know?"

That would be D rambling as she processed the information. She already knew, if she stopped to think about it, that Laura wasn't from her past. But, while she might be a cylon, but D still thought and spoke like any other teenager on the island. Except the ones who were older but in teenage bodies, at least, to her knowledge.

And right about then another Colonial history lesson smacked her in the back of the brain like a giant klaxon going off. Laura had said access to several models. That meant that either she was a cylon, which didn't compute, or..."wait, IF you've to spoke several Cylons, wouldn't that mean that someone one broke the Cimtar Peace Accord?" It was a big and important if!

Especially, as D was just being to wonder, if she herself was the one who had broke it three and a half weeks ago.

[hera_rises]

"The Peace Accord was broken, yes," she replied. "But, because of various factors, we're not certain whether it was broken by the Cylons or by the Colonies; I'm not sure we'll ever know.

"As for being president..." Laura paused, picking up her glasses and intertwining her fingers around their folded form. "There are two options: I serve either in your future, or a wholly different timeline. That's one of the reasons I'm hesitant to fully discuss the situation. I don't want to pollute the later timeline -- if that is, indeed, the case; and I don't want to worry you needlessly, if my reality is different from yours."

[dbiers]

D pulled her legs up into her chair and tucked her knees up and rested her coffee mug atop them. "Thank you. For being so honest, and for attempting to protect me from what may come. I... appreciate that more than you know."

D took another sip. She put a few things together and tilted her head a little to the side, "I am going to assume then, that things where you are from are not well. I won't pry further, only say that I am glad you're here. Where-ever in the bigger colonial picture that you may fit. I'm glad to know you here and now." Now if only D could articulate so well with others, she might be doing very well indeed. Even for a wee cylon!

[hera_rises]

Laura gave a taut -- but genuine -- smile. "Thank you, D'anna. While I feel I should be home, I am still glad to be here, glad to have a familiar and friendly face around."

She sighed, then laughed. It was a laugh of release, and she felt the tension flowing out of her. "Nothing like a light topic of conversation," she said with a chuckle. Her eyes twinkled. "Now, tell me about this...friend...of yours."

[dbiers]

"He's... wonderful. He's smart, funny, handsome, brave even if he's running for his life. He's saved my life, more than once. He braids my hair, and puts up with my buddy from home, and sends me a stuffed animal to cheer me up. He's taught me mostly everything I know about life on Earth. He's always got my back..." D quickly gushed, completely distracted by the change of topic.

"He's my best friend and I lo..." she stopped mid-word. Not going forward, not going back, just suspended. After a bit, she finally shut her mouth and leaned back into her chair, slightly stunned.

[hera_rises]

"It can be quite the revelation, can't it?" Her eyes glinted with humor and wisdom. She had been there before.

[dbiers]

D quietly nodded her head up and down, looking a little lost. "And how."

[hera_rises]

"When you walk through fire with people -- if there's been any kind of identification to begin with -- you sometimes grow closer...even if you never thought you would," Laura said, refilling her coffee cup. "And then that friendship can morph into something else." She offered D'anna more coffee. "I know it caught me off guard."

[With apologies to Mary McD. The quote was just too good not to incorporate. Even if I did edit a bit...]

[dbiers]

"Thank you." D accepted the coffee, letting Laura's words sink in. Then, without thinking of the many ways it could be taken or offend, she asked with gentle bewilderment, "what did you do then?"

[hera_rises]

Laura chuckled. "Fought it. Denied it. Tried to avoid him." Shaking her head, she shrugged. "In the end, it was impossible to avoid him; we had too many shared responsibilities. Finally, when I was...freed...from some of mine, he was there to help." She paused. "After our last conversation, I decided I should take my own advice."

[dbiers]

"I've already done those things," D smiled widely. "You give excellent advice. We didn't wait as long as perhaps we ought to have, but there were...extenuating circumstances.

[hera_rises]

"Well, I see they weren't too 'extenuating' -- you made it back in one piece and survived your conversation with him."

[dbiers]

"Yeah, about that..." D'anna kept her attention focused on her coffee as the tiniest of blushes veiled her cheeks. If she hadn't been thinking about what lead to their coming together, she would have been blushing much, much stronger. "We didn't so much converse as, ummm, participate in celebratory activities."

She definitely wasn't going to say frak in front of Laura this time.