Volume I, Scene Thirty-Seven
"Pregnancy suits you, Kara," Laura said, smiling.
"Really?" Kara said, looking skeptical and sucking a smear of sauce off the side of her thumb. "'Cause I feel like I swallowed a small moon."
"You look radiant," Laura said, scraping the rest of the sauce over the vegetables in the pan. "Besides, in a few weeks, you won't have a planetary body anymore."
"Thank the gods," Kara said. "I'm ready for this thing to be born. Then again, that means diapers and feeding and still no sleep, so maybe I'll wait."
Laura laughed, stirring the contents of the pan with a large wooden spoon. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I'm just going to steal your baby."
Kara pressed her palms into the small of her back and winced. "At this rate, you're welcome to him."
Bill Adama shambled into the room and tried to stick his fingers in the pan. Laura smacked him with the spoon, and he put his arms around her waist instead. "What d'you hear, Starbuck?"
"Nothin' but your wife making me dinner, sir," she said, grinning at him.
"Well, grab a fork and dig in," he said.
"Aye, aye." She tossed him a lazy salute and rummaged in a drawer.
"After that, you should work on getting that baby out. You know she's just gonna steal it."
"That's what I hear," Kara said, easing down onto a stool. "Man, you guys don't have enough to do now that you're all retired, do you? Work on that son of yours."
"Why do you think he made that proclamation?" Bill said. "She's a very convincing lady."
"'Citizens of Earth!'" Kara said in a rather poor imitation of Lee. "'It is your patriotic duty to me and to the planet to pop out as many babies as you can stand to have. Remember, the Cylons are our allies now. For the good of society, get to bed.' Gives a whole new meaning to frakking toasters, I tell you."
"Not very new," said Laura with a meaningful look.
"Sir!" said Kara, pretending to be shocked. Laura giggled.
"You'll have to excuse her," Bill said. "All this talk of babies makes her crazy."
"It's a little late to have any of my own," Laura said, leaning against Bill's chest. "You do all the schlepping and I'll do the diapers. Everybody wins."
"Sammy said he'll change diapers," said Kara, "so I guess that's okay." She rubbed her belly. "Gods, I sound like babies are the worst thing that could happen, don't I? I don't mean it. I actually am excited about it. It's just these last few weeks look longer and longer every time I think about the fact that I'm already so massive I can't move. I can't drive, I can't fly. I can't even stand up for longer than five minutes without my ankles swelling."
"Don't worry about it," Bill said. "You're not the first new mother to be overwhelmed. Plus, there's all those hormones."
"You're not helping, Old Man," she said. "You may have kids, but you didn't have to go through labor."
"You're tougher than that," he said. "I have faith in you. Besides, it's a little late to back out now."
"Yeah," she said, an introspective little smile creeping over her face. "Can't wait to teach him how to fly. I can start early with that, right? As soon as he can grab a stick?"
"Absolutely," said Bill.
"You sound like your wife," Kara said, and Laura laughed. "No, you know what? It's gonna be great. Sam's gonna be a great dad. He's got all these plans to build him a Viper-shaped bed and everything. I'm just terrified of having a tiny little person that I made walking around in the world." She tapped her fork on the countertop.
"It never gets easier," Bill said.
Laura smacked him gently "A little reassurance wouldn't go amiss, Admiral."
"You're gonna be a great mother, Kara," Bill said, all seriousness. He came around the counter and put his hand on her shoulder. "You raised my pilots, and they did their jobs. You taught one of my sons to fly, and the other to get over himself. You're stubborn as hell, but you don't quit. I'd trust you raising anyone."
Kara blinked back tears. "Gods, I hate these hormones. Thanks, Old Man."
He rubbed her shoulder briefly. "Not that it matters, because Laura's just going to keep him."
"So," said Laura, "does he have a name? Because after I steal him, it would be good to know what to call him."
"You don't want to let her name him. She'd just name him after some detective," Bill said. "Always reading trashy novels, you know. You'd end up with a son named Dirk Benedict or some nonsense."
"Jake," said Kara. "Jacob William Anders. For Sam's old man and mine." She grinned. "Now it's somebody else's turn to cry."
Bill just stared down at Kara, squeezing her shoulder gently, his expression inscrutable. Laura sniffled and then laughed.
"Don't mind me," she said, wiping at her eyes. "Onions. Babies."
Kara beamed up at Bill and lifted her hand to cover his. "That's right. Speechless. I knew it had to happen."
"You're a good kid, Starbuck," he said, and kissed the top of her head.
The doorbell rang, and Laura tripped off to let Sam in. "Sam, how many times do I have to tell you, you don't have to ring the doorbell? You can just come in." She kissed his cheek.
"Sorry, ma'am. It's an intimidating household." He grinned, a little abashed, and nodded to Bill. "Sir."
"Anders," Bill said, but with some warmth. "We're obliged to you for finally getting Starbuck here to settle down and give us a baby to steal."
Kara smacked Bill. "Nobody tamed me!"
"She's right, sir," said Sam, putting his arm around his wife. "I'm the one on the chair. She's got the whip."
"I see no reason for either party to hold the whip," Laura said over her shoulder.
"That's what the boss always says," Bill murmured to Sam and Kara, "gives the peons something to feel good about."
"I can still hear you!" said Laura, and Bill went over and kissed her, saying something in her ear that made her laugh.
Sam kissed Kara's forehead and she leaned against him. "How's my girl?"
"Fat," she said petulantly. "Sam, my belly's as big as the moon."
"So he's a moon child," Sam said, patting her stomach. "What else could he be? His mother's happier in a plane than she is on the ground."
"Hear that, moonchild?" Kara said to her belly. "Better get out of there so I can get back in the air."
"Not during dinner, please," Laura said. "Which is served."
"Really?" Kara said, looking skeptical and sucking a smear of sauce off the side of her thumb. "'Cause I feel like I swallowed a small moon."
"You look radiant," Laura said, scraping the rest of the sauce over the vegetables in the pan. "Besides, in a few weeks, you won't have a planetary body anymore."
"Thank the gods," Kara said. "I'm ready for this thing to be born. Then again, that means diapers and feeding and still no sleep, so maybe I'll wait."
Laura laughed, stirring the contents of the pan with a large wooden spoon. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that. I'm just going to steal your baby."
Kara pressed her palms into the small of her back and winced. "At this rate, you're welcome to him."
Bill Adama shambled into the room and tried to stick his fingers in the pan. Laura smacked him with the spoon, and he put his arms around her waist instead. "What d'you hear, Starbuck?"
"Nothin' but your wife making me dinner, sir," she said, grinning at him.
"Well, grab a fork and dig in," he said.
"Aye, aye." She tossed him a lazy salute and rummaged in a drawer.
"After that, you should work on getting that baby out. You know she's just gonna steal it."
"That's what I hear," Kara said, easing down onto a stool. "Man, you guys don't have enough to do now that you're all retired, do you? Work on that son of yours."
"Why do you think he made that proclamation?" Bill said. "She's a very convincing lady."
"'Citizens of Earth!'" Kara said in a rather poor imitation of Lee. "'It is your patriotic duty to me and to the planet to pop out as many babies as you can stand to have. Remember, the Cylons are our allies now. For the good of society, get to bed.' Gives a whole new meaning to frakking toasters, I tell you."
"Not very new," said Laura with a meaningful look.
"Sir!" said Kara, pretending to be shocked. Laura giggled.
"You'll have to excuse her," Bill said. "All this talk of babies makes her crazy."
"It's a little late to have any of my own," Laura said, leaning against Bill's chest. "You do all the schlepping and I'll do the diapers. Everybody wins."
"Sammy said he'll change diapers," said Kara, "so I guess that's okay." She rubbed her belly. "Gods, I sound like babies are the worst thing that could happen, don't I? I don't mean it. I actually am excited about it. It's just these last few weeks look longer and longer every time I think about the fact that I'm already so massive I can't move. I can't drive, I can't fly. I can't even stand up for longer than five minutes without my ankles swelling."
"Don't worry about it," Bill said. "You're not the first new mother to be overwhelmed. Plus, there's all those hormones."
"You're not helping, Old Man," she said. "You may have kids, but you didn't have to go through labor."
"You're tougher than that," he said. "I have faith in you. Besides, it's a little late to back out now."
"Yeah," she said, an introspective little smile creeping over her face. "Can't wait to teach him how to fly. I can start early with that, right? As soon as he can grab a stick?"
"Absolutely," said Bill.
"You sound like your wife," Kara said, and Laura laughed. "No, you know what? It's gonna be great. Sam's gonna be a great dad. He's got all these plans to build him a Viper-shaped bed and everything. I'm just terrified of having a tiny little person that I made walking around in the world." She tapped her fork on the countertop.
"It never gets easier," Bill said.
Laura smacked him gently "A little reassurance wouldn't go amiss, Admiral."
"You're gonna be a great mother, Kara," Bill said, all seriousness. He came around the counter and put his hand on her shoulder. "You raised my pilots, and they did their jobs. You taught one of my sons to fly, and the other to get over himself. You're stubborn as hell, but you don't quit. I'd trust you raising anyone."
Kara blinked back tears. "Gods, I hate these hormones. Thanks, Old Man."
He rubbed her shoulder briefly. "Not that it matters, because Laura's just going to keep him."
"So," said Laura, "does he have a name? Because after I steal him, it would be good to know what to call him."
"You don't want to let her name him. She'd just name him after some detective," Bill said. "Always reading trashy novels, you know. You'd end up with a son named Dirk Benedict or some nonsense."
"Jake," said Kara. "Jacob William Anders. For Sam's old man and mine." She grinned. "Now it's somebody else's turn to cry."
Bill just stared down at Kara, squeezing her shoulder gently, his expression inscrutable. Laura sniffled and then laughed.
"Don't mind me," she said, wiping at her eyes. "Onions. Babies."
Kara beamed up at Bill and lifted her hand to cover his. "That's right. Speechless. I knew it had to happen."
"You're a good kid, Starbuck," he said, and kissed the top of her head.
The doorbell rang, and Laura tripped off to let Sam in. "Sam, how many times do I have to tell you, you don't have to ring the doorbell? You can just come in." She kissed his cheek.
"Sorry, ma'am. It's an intimidating household." He grinned, a little abashed, and nodded to Bill. "Sir."
"Anders," Bill said, but with some warmth. "We're obliged to you for finally getting Starbuck here to settle down and give us a baby to steal."
Kara smacked Bill. "Nobody tamed me!"
"She's right, sir," said Sam, putting his arm around his wife. "I'm the one on the chair. She's got the whip."
"I see no reason for either party to hold the whip," Laura said over her shoulder.
"That's what the boss always says," Bill murmured to Sam and Kara, "gives the peons something to feel good about."
"I can still hear you!" said Laura, and Bill went over and kissed her, saying something in her ear that made her laugh.
Sam kissed Kara's forehead and she leaned against him. "How's my girl?"
"Fat," she said petulantly. "Sam, my belly's as big as the moon."
"So he's a moon child," Sam said, patting her stomach. "What else could he be? His mother's happier in a plane than she is on the ground."
"Hear that, moonchild?" Kara said to her belly. "Better get out of there so I can get back in the air."
"Not during dinner, please," Laura said. "Which is served."