In Front of You (A/R, complete)
This is for nixmom, who provided me with the prompt “We don’t have much time”. Hope you like it.
In Front of You
By Missbevcrusher
Rated [T ]
Word count: 1053
Synopsis: Back for a brief and unexpected break from the campaign trail, Laura hurries to Bill's apartment, hoping to see him before he leaves for another tour of duty. Will she make it in time?
This stand-alone story is AU, and set in pretty much the same context as my story “And Then I Met You”. Basically, let’s pretend that Laura is living on Caprica and is dating Bill, who is currently on leave. Again, to clarify, it is not part of “And Then I Met You”.
Author’s note: This story was written on the fly and has not been betaed. If mistakes remain, they are entirely my own.
Rain was battering the windshield, blurring the view despite the wipers’ constant back and forth. For some reason, the street was a bottleneck this evening. The timing couldn’t have been worse. With a quick look at her watch, Laura Roslin gave an exasperated sigh, before looking to the road once again. To the left was an endless queue of blinding headlights, all at a standstill. Focusing on the red tail-lights in her own lane, Laura impatiently tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. Come on, come on.
It was nearing nine o’clock, and Bill would be leaving for Caprica Transfer Station soon. If the traffic didn’t let up, she feared missing him altogether. Her schedule had been rather crazy in the past month or so, and they had only seen each other a handful of times. In truth, Bill didn’t even know she was on her way right now. Due to urgent and unexpected mayoral duties, Richard’s flight had been diverted back to Caprica. And so, here she was, well and truly stuck in traffic.
Resisting the urge to honk the horn, Laura reached for her cell phone, and dialled Bill’s number one more time. Her stomach in knots, she waited for the familiar ring, but it never came. Stupid cell phone provider. The signal was horrendously unreliable tonight, and she hadn’t been able to get through. To hell with the contract, she thought. First thing tomorrow morning, Laura was going to ditch this particular company.
Several interminable minutes later, the cars started to move again, at a snail’s pace at first, and then faster. When Bill’s apartment building came into view, Laura looked for a vacant parking spot, but no luck. Great… Just great... In the end, she had to park a block and a half away.
Exiting the vehicle, Laura set a hurried pace, her heels clicking and splashing on the wet pavement. The rain was relentless, the wind bordering fierce. By the time Laura had reached the building, her hair was soaked, and so was her coat.
Passing by the broken elevator, she made for the stairwell, and started heading up. Her heart was in her throat, and by the time she arrived at his door, she was practically out of breath.
This was it. But before she could knock, the doorknob turned on a click, and the door opened.
“Laura.” The look on Bill’s face was one of genuine surprise, but as the moment hung there, it yielded to something else: relief, joy, or a blend of the two.
“Hi,” was all she said.
Clad in his duty uniform, Bill set his suitcase on the floor. His eyes never left hers. Wordlessly, he reached for her hand, and watched as she narrowed the gap, closing the door softly behind her. When he pulled her to him, Laura closed her eyes, and drew an extended breath. Oh how she had missed him.
“I thought you were going to Gemenon today.”
“I was, but there was a change in plans.” She nuzzled in closer, inhaling the scent of him as her cheek brushed against his freshly-shaven face.
“It’s good to see you,” he rasped at length, his arms wrapping ever more snuggly around her frame.
To be in his arms again… words could not describe how it made her feel. This moment was wonderful, maddening, and bittersweet. Time was fleeting, she knew. This latest tour was going to last two whole months. Gods, she was going to miss him.
It was hard to believe that less than six months ago, this man had been but a stranger, a blind date thrown on her path by one of her friends.
A flutter beginning low in her belly, she leaned into him, and focused on the sound of his breathing, on the smooth glide of his palm down the length of her arm. For several heartbeats, neither said anything. Easing away just so, she let her eyes trail over his face, taking in every detail. There was a softness to his features, especially in his gaze. During this last leg of the campaign, whenever they would speak on the phone late at night, she would close her eyes and see those pools of midnight blue.
And now, she was actually here, standing in front of him. Laura felt so many things when she was with Bill: from trust, to lust, and-dare she say it?-love.
Yes, she loved him. And although she had never said the words, the look in his eyes suggested that he knew. Still, the emotion was there, strong and growing stronger. He deserved to hear it.
Opening her mouth to speak, Laura felt a tear roll unbidden down her cheek. But when his thumb grazed her lower lip, her breath fled, and her eyelids fell shut yet again. When he kissed her, she whimpered into him, because of him. Soon, she promised herself.
Oh what she would have given to guide him further into the apartment, to lie in his bed and luxuriate in the feel of skin against skin. But there was no time, and her heart clenched because of it.
Unwilling to let go just yet, Laura stretched the moment for as long as she could, kissed and kissed as tears surged and fell. Eventually, the kiss tapered into a series of smaller ones. Then, as his forehead came to rest against hers, they simply held on to each other, their breaths mingling in the narrow space between their mouths.
His fingers were grazing along her jaw, over the wet strands of hair that were plastered to her face. No doubt, she was a mess. But Bill didn’t seem to mind. He never did.
“I wish I didn’t have to leave.”
A poignant second went by, and then, “I know.”
Bill was a dutiful soldier, always had been. She would never fault him for that.
After a time, they reluctantly eased away from one another. Galactica was waiting, and they had lingered for as long as they could.
“Mind if I go with you to the transfer station?” Laura’s query left her lips as Bill reached for his suitcase.
The smile he gave was warm and gentle. “Not at all.”
And so, after one last lingering kiss, the two left the apartment, their fingers twinned between them.
…
So here it is: my first fic in God knows how long. Yet again, Laura didn’t say the L word. It might seem repetitive, and I apologize for that. You see, I’ve been trying to get back into writing “And Then I Met You”, and I wanted to save it for that particular story.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.
Now onto the next…
In Front of You
By Missbevcrusher
Rated [T ]
Word count: 1053
Synopsis: Back for a brief and unexpected break from the campaign trail, Laura hurries to Bill's apartment, hoping to see him before he leaves for another tour of duty. Will she make it in time?
This stand-alone story is AU, and set in pretty much the same context as my story “And Then I Met You”. Basically, let’s pretend that Laura is living on Caprica and is dating Bill, who is currently on leave. Again, to clarify, it is not part of “And Then I Met You”.
Author’s note: This story was written on the fly and has not been betaed. If mistakes remain, they are entirely my own.
Rain was battering the windshield, blurring the view despite the wipers’ constant back and forth. For some reason, the street was a bottleneck this evening. The timing couldn’t have been worse. With a quick look at her watch, Laura Roslin gave an exasperated sigh, before looking to the road once again. To the left was an endless queue of blinding headlights, all at a standstill. Focusing on the red tail-lights in her own lane, Laura impatiently tapped her fingers on the steering wheel. Come on, come on.
It was nearing nine o’clock, and Bill would be leaving for Caprica Transfer Station soon. If the traffic didn’t let up, she feared missing him altogether. Her schedule had been rather crazy in the past month or so, and they had only seen each other a handful of times. In truth, Bill didn’t even know she was on her way right now. Due to urgent and unexpected mayoral duties, Richard’s flight had been diverted back to Caprica. And so, here she was, well and truly stuck in traffic.
Resisting the urge to honk the horn, Laura reached for her cell phone, and dialled Bill’s number one more time. Her stomach in knots, she waited for the familiar ring, but it never came. Stupid cell phone provider. The signal was horrendously unreliable tonight, and she hadn’t been able to get through. To hell with the contract, she thought. First thing tomorrow morning, Laura was going to ditch this particular company.
Several interminable minutes later, the cars started to move again, at a snail’s pace at first, and then faster. When Bill’s apartment building came into view, Laura looked for a vacant parking spot, but no luck. Great… Just great... In the end, she had to park a block and a half away.
Exiting the vehicle, Laura set a hurried pace, her heels clicking and splashing on the wet pavement. The rain was relentless, the wind bordering fierce. By the time Laura had reached the building, her hair was soaked, and so was her coat.
Passing by the broken elevator, she made for the stairwell, and started heading up. Her heart was in her throat, and by the time she arrived at his door, she was practically out of breath.
This was it. But before she could knock, the doorknob turned on a click, and the door opened.
“Laura.” The look on Bill’s face was one of genuine surprise, but as the moment hung there, it yielded to something else: relief, joy, or a blend of the two.
“Hi,” was all she said.
Clad in his duty uniform, Bill set his suitcase on the floor. His eyes never left hers. Wordlessly, he reached for her hand, and watched as she narrowed the gap, closing the door softly behind her. When he pulled her to him, Laura closed her eyes, and drew an extended breath. Oh how she had missed him.
“I thought you were going to Gemenon today.”
“I was, but there was a change in plans.” She nuzzled in closer, inhaling the scent of him as her cheek brushed against his freshly-shaven face.
“It’s good to see you,” he rasped at length, his arms wrapping ever more snuggly around her frame.
To be in his arms again… words could not describe how it made her feel. This moment was wonderful, maddening, and bittersweet. Time was fleeting, she knew. This latest tour was going to last two whole months. Gods, she was going to miss him.
It was hard to believe that less than six months ago, this man had been but a stranger, a blind date thrown on her path by one of her friends.
A flutter beginning low in her belly, she leaned into him, and focused on the sound of his breathing, on the smooth glide of his palm down the length of her arm. For several heartbeats, neither said anything. Easing away just so, she let her eyes trail over his face, taking in every detail. There was a softness to his features, especially in his gaze. During this last leg of the campaign, whenever they would speak on the phone late at night, she would close her eyes and see those pools of midnight blue.
And now, she was actually here, standing in front of him. Laura felt so many things when she was with Bill: from trust, to lust, and-dare she say it?-love.
Yes, she loved him. And although she had never said the words, the look in his eyes suggested that he knew. Still, the emotion was there, strong and growing stronger. He deserved to hear it.
Opening her mouth to speak, Laura felt a tear roll unbidden down her cheek. But when his thumb grazed her lower lip, her breath fled, and her eyelids fell shut yet again. When he kissed her, she whimpered into him, because of him. Soon, she promised herself.
Oh what she would have given to guide him further into the apartment, to lie in his bed and luxuriate in the feel of skin against skin. But there was no time, and her heart clenched because of it.
Unwilling to let go just yet, Laura stretched the moment for as long as she could, kissed and kissed as tears surged and fell. Eventually, the kiss tapered into a series of smaller ones. Then, as his forehead came to rest against hers, they simply held on to each other, their breaths mingling in the narrow space between their mouths.
His fingers were grazing along her jaw, over the wet strands of hair that were plastered to her face. No doubt, she was a mess. But Bill didn’t seem to mind. He never did.
“I wish I didn’t have to leave.”
A poignant second went by, and then, “I know.”
Bill was a dutiful soldier, always had been. She would never fault him for that.
After a time, they reluctantly eased away from one another. Galactica was waiting, and they had lingered for as long as they could.
“Mind if I go with you to the transfer station?” Laura’s query left her lips as Bill reached for his suitcase.
The smile he gave was warm and gentle. “Not at all.”
And so, after one last lingering kiss, the two left the apartment, their fingers twinned between them.
…
So here it is: my first fic in God knows how long. Yet again, Laura didn’t say the L word. It might seem repetitive, and I apologize for that. You see, I’ve been trying to get back into writing “And Then I Met You”, and I wanted to save it for that particular story.
Anyway, thanks for reading. I really appreciate it.
Now onto the next…