The Five
Title: The Five
Date posted: 06-20-09
Fandom: BSG
Disclaimer: The characters and location do not belong to me.
Spoilers: Vague spoilers up to season 4.5.
Notes: I blame yubsie, i_paint_the_sky and non_horation for this.
non_horation: kittens would love Bill
non_horation: he's like my dad
sunshine_queen: LOL he'd lay down
non_horation: he would let them climb all over him :-P
Her heart stops when she walks into their quarters to see only Bill's feet on the floor behind a bulkhead. There's a strange, soft sound coming from him, like a keening or whimper, and Laura hastens over. "Bill? Are you alright? Did you- " And she stops because now that she can see him, she knows that the noise is not coming from him, and he isn't dying of a heart attack.
Instead, he's covered in kittens, who are mewling as they traverse the uniformed terrain.
He looks up at her sheepishly. "How was your meeting?"
"Oh, it went relatively well. I'm much more interested in hearing why you're on the floor with four kittens on you."
"Five."
"I see four."
He motions carefully to where a fifth is curled up behind his shoulder.
"... Why you're on the floor with five kittens on you."
"The Chief brought them," he says, as though with that one phrase, his location and companions make sense.
"Of course. Where did the Chief get five kittens?"
"Said he found them in a supply closet down on hangar bay. He noticed them a few weeks ago, and was going to let them stay but he's allergic."
Laura nods. "I see. Why are they here?"
"He figured I'd know what to do with them. And he was looking pretty sick, so he needed them away from his hangar."
"And your decision was to... lie down on the floor."
"They looked pitiful in the box. And they kept trying to... climb up, so I decided to... minimize the chance of injury."
She doesn't notice the rogue kitten until it's weaving its way around her ankles, she nearly jumps out of her skin. "Lords of Kobol, when did it get there?" It mews at her winsomely, blue eyes shining up at her, and though she's never liked cats, she can see why people fall for kittens.
"I think it likes you," Bill says quietly, and carefully, because an orange kitten is balancing its front paws on his chin. She steps carefully away from the kitten about her feet, who grey and striped.
"You're not actually thinking of keeping them, are you?"
"Five cats? No, it'd be a mad house. We'll ask around, see who's interested. Get them off Galactica." He says this in his Admiral voice, as though the severity will inspire the kittens to fall into rank, but the three kittens still on him are settling down to nap, the fourth is snoozing against his shoulder, and the fifth is following Laura's retreat with the tenacity of a Raider.
The first kitten they give to the Agathons. Hera is immediately charmed by a mostly orange female, who rubs into her and purrs sweetly. Beaming and clutching the kitten to her, Hera had looked up at her mother and said "Six!"
"No, baby. There's only five kittens, see?"
"Nooo, Six," and she pats the kitten against her. Helo coughs before kneeling to suggest other names- Sally, or Susie, or Sunshine, does Hera remember what they've said about the sun? And Hera looks interested, and agrees to name the cat Sunshine, but still calls the creature Sixsy.
Laura is getting blood drawn in sickbay before going to a meeting with ship captains when the second kitten stows away. Upon opening the bag and exclaiming in surprise, Cottle had rushed into the room. "Dammit, young lady! There is no need to- now what in the name of Asclepius is that?"
"A kitten," Laura had replied wearily. "He must've hidden in here... don't make that face at me."
Lowering his eyebrows, Cottle says, "It can't stay here. This is a sanitary area, and that little fleatrap certainly can't be here. He'll need to go back to the Admiral's quarters at once." But Laura has no time to go back before her meeting and there is no one available to bring a wayward kitten back to his siblings, so Cottle sticks him in his coat pocket.
"Don't worry, Doctor," Laura calls after him, "If no one's said anything about your cigarettes, no one will notice an animal." The kitten, who Cottle names Jack, becomes the mascot of sickbay, and if anyone mentions an issue with cleanliness, it falls on deaf ears.
The third kitten is taken in by Kara Thrace under duress. She comes one evening to discuss something with the Admiral, and a little black cat takes a shine to her. Starbuck pretends to be apathetic towards it as it cries at her boot, but her eyes are soft when she looks down. The kitten meows at the hatch after she leaves.
Kara is halfway back to her quarters when she turns around. "I think I forgot something," she says to Bill, and she swoops down to pick the kitten up. "Come on, Megaera," she says with forced gruffness, and the kitten rubs into her neck.
Laura is anxious for a cool cloth on her forehead and the warmth of Bill's rack when she finds the Six named Caprica being held back by the Marines. "What's going on here?"
Caprica, so elegant and composed normally, seems at once anxious and excited. "Doc Cottle has a kitten. He says he got it from you." Laura nods. "I was wondering if..." She doesn't want to say that Cottle's is the only cat she's ever seen, but it is, and she found herself enchanted.
"We've got two more," Laura says, and though she's hesitant, she's not unkind. She motions for the marines to let them through, and takes Caprica into the Admiral's quarters. The two remaining kittens, one white and one grey, are rolling around together on a carpet by Bill's desk, and Caprica melts at the sight.
"They're adorable," she says, her voice high with delight, and try as she might, Laura can't help but wonder if it's a program or a personal preference.
Caprica goes to the kittens and kneels down, cooing and reaching out to them. "Their fur is so soft," she says in amazement, and Laura makes a noncommital noise and sits at the desk. The grey one rolls away to go to her, mewing happily, and Caprica smiles. "Do you like cats, Madame President?"
"I'm not particularly wild about them, but I don't hate them."
Caprica has brought the white kitten up to her face, smiling and clucking at it as though it were an infant. "Are you keeping these last two, then?"
It's hard not to be drawn into happiness when it's so evident on the six's face. "Would you like that kitten?" Laura asks, and when Caprica's eyes meet hers, anxiety takes over.
"I wasn't sure if you'd... want to keep them both, or if you would..." and what's unspoken is if they would give a cylon a helpless animal.
"If you like it, it's yours," and before Laura's finished the sentence, Caprica's face is aglow with joy. She takes the kitten, named Serena, back to the quarters she shares with Tigh. He's more aggravated by the cat than Cottle was, but warms up to what he calls "the little beast" as a favor to Caprica.
"I suppose now we can send that message out," Bill says the next morning as they're finishing their coffee. "See if anyone on one of the other ships is interested in a cat."
Laura shrugs. "Do you really think it's worth it? It's only one of them now, and it just seems like it'd be an ordeal to find it a place on another ship."
"You don't mind keeping it around?"
She doesn't say that the kitten will be around to keep him company longer than she will, but it's what she thinks. "No, I don't mind, Bill. We'll keep the little thing. Teach it to hiss at the press."
"Mm," he agrees, and gives her a kiss. "I'll see you for dinner?" She nods affirmation before giving him another kiss.
He's stepping out the hatch when he hears the kitten start to mew.
"Yes, yes," Laura says in a normal tone, "I hear you, Hope. I've just got to read these files and then- oh, all right. You just want to be here with me, don't you? Fine. I don't need two hands to read fuel reports anyway." Pleased with her position in Laura's lap, Hope purrs her response.
Date posted: 06-20-09
Fandom: BSG
Disclaimer: The characters and location do not belong to me.
Spoilers: Vague spoilers up to season 4.5.
Notes: I blame yubsie, i_paint_the_sky and non_horation for this.
non_horation: kittens would love Bill
non_horation: he's like my dad
sunshine_queen: LOL he'd lay down
non_horation: he would let them climb all over him :-P
Her heart stops when she walks into their quarters to see only Bill's feet on the floor behind a bulkhead. There's a strange, soft sound coming from him, like a keening or whimper, and Laura hastens over. "Bill? Are you alright? Did you- " And she stops because now that she can see him, she knows that the noise is not coming from him, and he isn't dying of a heart attack.
Instead, he's covered in kittens, who are mewling as they traverse the uniformed terrain.
He looks up at her sheepishly. "How was your meeting?"
"Oh, it went relatively well. I'm much more interested in hearing why you're on the floor with four kittens on you."
"Five."
"I see four."
He motions carefully to where a fifth is curled up behind his shoulder.
"... Why you're on the floor with five kittens on you."
"The Chief brought them," he says, as though with that one phrase, his location and companions make sense.
"Of course. Where did the Chief get five kittens?"
"Said he found them in a supply closet down on hangar bay. He noticed them a few weeks ago, and was going to let them stay but he's allergic."
Laura nods. "I see. Why are they here?"
"He figured I'd know what to do with them. And he was looking pretty sick, so he needed them away from his hangar."
"And your decision was to... lie down on the floor."
"They looked pitiful in the box. And they kept trying to... climb up, so I decided to... minimize the chance of injury."
She doesn't notice the rogue kitten until it's weaving its way around her ankles, she nearly jumps out of her skin. "Lords of Kobol, when did it get there?" It mews at her winsomely, blue eyes shining up at her, and though she's never liked cats, she can see why people fall for kittens.
"I think it likes you," Bill says quietly, and carefully, because an orange kitten is balancing its front paws on his chin. She steps carefully away from the kitten about her feet, who grey and striped.
"You're not actually thinking of keeping them, are you?"
"Five cats? No, it'd be a mad house. We'll ask around, see who's interested. Get them off Galactica." He says this in his Admiral voice, as though the severity will inspire the kittens to fall into rank, but the three kittens still on him are settling down to nap, the fourth is snoozing against his shoulder, and the fifth is following Laura's retreat with the tenacity of a Raider.
The first kitten they give to the Agathons. Hera is immediately charmed by a mostly orange female, who rubs into her and purrs sweetly. Beaming and clutching the kitten to her, Hera had looked up at her mother and said "Six!"
"No, baby. There's only five kittens, see?"
"Nooo, Six," and she pats the kitten against her. Helo coughs before kneeling to suggest other names- Sally, or Susie, or Sunshine, does Hera remember what they've said about the sun? And Hera looks interested, and agrees to name the cat Sunshine, but still calls the creature Sixsy.
Laura is getting blood drawn in sickbay before going to a meeting with ship captains when the second kitten stows away. Upon opening the bag and exclaiming in surprise, Cottle had rushed into the room. "Dammit, young lady! There is no need to- now what in the name of Asclepius is that?"
"A kitten," Laura had replied wearily. "He must've hidden in here... don't make that face at me."
Lowering his eyebrows, Cottle says, "It can't stay here. This is a sanitary area, and that little fleatrap certainly can't be here. He'll need to go back to the Admiral's quarters at once." But Laura has no time to go back before her meeting and there is no one available to bring a wayward kitten back to his siblings, so Cottle sticks him in his coat pocket.
"Don't worry, Doctor," Laura calls after him, "If no one's said anything about your cigarettes, no one will notice an animal." The kitten, who Cottle names Jack, becomes the mascot of sickbay, and if anyone mentions an issue with cleanliness, it falls on deaf ears.
The third kitten is taken in by Kara Thrace under duress. She comes one evening to discuss something with the Admiral, and a little black cat takes a shine to her. Starbuck pretends to be apathetic towards it as it cries at her boot, but her eyes are soft when she looks down. The kitten meows at the hatch after she leaves.
Kara is halfway back to her quarters when she turns around. "I think I forgot something," she says to Bill, and she swoops down to pick the kitten up. "Come on, Megaera," she says with forced gruffness, and the kitten rubs into her neck.
Laura is anxious for a cool cloth on her forehead and the warmth of Bill's rack when she finds the Six named Caprica being held back by the Marines. "What's going on here?"
Caprica, so elegant and composed normally, seems at once anxious and excited. "Doc Cottle has a kitten. He says he got it from you." Laura nods. "I was wondering if..." She doesn't want to say that Cottle's is the only cat she's ever seen, but it is, and she found herself enchanted.
"We've got two more," Laura says, and though she's hesitant, she's not unkind. She motions for the marines to let them through, and takes Caprica into the Admiral's quarters. The two remaining kittens, one white and one grey, are rolling around together on a carpet by Bill's desk, and Caprica melts at the sight.
"They're adorable," she says, her voice high with delight, and try as she might, Laura can't help but wonder if it's a program or a personal preference.
Caprica goes to the kittens and kneels down, cooing and reaching out to them. "Their fur is so soft," she says in amazement, and Laura makes a noncommital noise and sits at the desk. The grey one rolls away to go to her, mewing happily, and Caprica smiles. "Do you like cats, Madame President?"
"I'm not particularly wild about them, but I don't hate them."
Caprica has brought the white kitten up to her face, smiling and clucking at it as though it were an infant. "Are you keeping these last two, then?"
It's hard not to be drawn into happiness when it's so evident on the six's face. "Would you like that kitten?" Laura asks, and when Caprica's eyes meet hers, anxiety takes over.
"I wasn't sure if you'd... want to keep them both, or if you would..." and what's unspoken is if they would give a cylon a helpless animal.
"If you like it, it's yours," and before Laura's finished the sentence, Caprica's face is aglow with joy. She takes the kitten, named Serena, back to the quarters she shares with Tigh. He's more aggravated by the cat than Cottle was, but warms up to what he calls "the little beast" as a favor to Caprica.
"I suppose now we can send that message out," Bill says the next morning as they're finishing their coffee. "See if anyone on one of the other ships is interested in a cat."
Laura shrugs. "Do you really think it's worth it? It's only one of them now, and it just seems like it'd be an ordeal to find it a place on another ship."
"You don't mind keeping it around?"
She doesn't say that the kitten will be around to keep him company longer than she will, but it's what she thinks. "No, I don't mind, Bill. We'll keep the little thing. Teach it to hiss at the press."
"Mm," he agrees, and gives her a kiss. "I'll see you for dinner?" She nods affirmation before giving him another kiss.
He's stepping out the hatch when he hears the kitten start to mew.
"Yes, yes," Laura says in a normal tone, "I hear you, Hope. I've just got to read these files and then- oh, all right. You just want to be here with me, don't you? Fine. I don't need two hands to read fuel reports anyway." Pleased with her position in Laura's lap, Hope purrs her response.