Hard Questions, for charmed8620
Title: Hard Questions
Author: hobbit_kate
Summary: Billy Keikeya plans to ask Dee the question.
Characters: Billy, Dee, Laura, Lee
Pairings: Billy/Dee, Lee/Dee
Rating: G
Warnings: None, really.
Thanks to: My wonderful, awesome betas letterstonorah and somadanne
Title, Author, and URL of the original story: Of Rings and Roses by charmed8620
Looking out of the window on the shuttle to Galactica, Billy thinks back to the President’s suggestion. The gardens on Cloud 9 were indeed very beautiful. In between preparations for Colonial Day, he remembers resting for a minute on a bench near a small fountain. It was right up against the edge. With only a hedge between it and the fake horizon, looking up killed the illusion a lot. It had a really nice view of the garden, though. Children playing, gardeners tending to the shrubbery and flowers, people walking in the fake sunshine. Cozy, secluded, romantic. Yes, that would be a great spot.
So what if there were no restaurants anymore. A picnic would be romantic, too, wouldn’t it? With a blanket, roses arranged in the middle of it. They could eat first, and then, before dessert, Billy could pop the question. Or maybe hide the ring in the dessert. He’d seen that in a chick flick at his sister’s once. The woman in the movie seemed to think it was romantic. Of course, his sisters did say it was unhygienic. And a choking hazard. Maybe he should just lay it on top of a piece of cake, like a decoration. If he could find cake, that is.
He supposes they could hold the wedding on Cloud 9, too. If Dee wants to, of course. He should probably let her decide about that. He can still hear the rows his older sister had with his mother about all the little details of her wedding. About the exact color of light blue the bridesmaids’ dresses needed to be (“I said baby blue, not sky blue, Mom!” - Billy couldn’t see any difference, they were all blue); about how the veil was too long, or too short, or too heavy, or too light (“Little Mia couldn’t possibly carry this fabric, Mom” versus “What if there’s too much wind, it would fly off!”); about how the dinner courses had too many apples in them. Too many apples. Billy shakes his head fondly at the memory. And through all this, his brother-in-law-to-be sat off to the side, content to let Sasha rant, shrugging it off when she yelled at him. Yes, Billy would definitely stay out of it. Dee would have her own perfect wedding in her head, and Billy resolved he’d make it happen exactly the way she wanted.
He remembers Sasha’s wedding as though it were yesterday, even though it’s been at least five years. He’d never seen his sister that happy before. She looked simply radiant. Billy imagines Dee looking like that, happy, smiling, in a pretty dress with a veil. He would be the proudest man in the universe to have her standing next to him, saying ‘yes’ to a life with him.
“Billy!”
Billy looks at the President, who’s practically shouting his name, her mouth curved in a teasing little smile.
“Shuttle to Billy,” she says. “Time to get your head off Cloud 9 and focus on presidential issues.”
Billy nods decisively. He can dream some more about life with Dee later, when this issue with the Valerii Cylon has been resolved one way or the other. Personally, he thinks they should just tell the Fleet. It’s not as though having a Cylon to study is a bad thing. The Fleet just needs to hear that they are in complete control of the situation.
****
The President and Billy are standing in the middle of one of Galactica’s hallways, further discussing the issue after having seen the Admiral. When he suddenly sees Dee turn the corner, his throat goes dry and he completely forgets what he was going to say. I’m going to marry that girl, he thinks. And suddenly he can’t wait. I’ve got the ring, right? He panics, feeling for it. Yes, it’s in his pocket.
He turns to the President, “Could I... erm, could I have a minute?”
“Sure,” she says, mock-seriously. “Important, m-hm.”
He looks at Dee’s retreating back, steeling his resolve, before turning back to his boss, who, in the few months after the attacks, has become the closest thing he has to family.
“You were saying about the hard questions?”
She looks at him, surprised, her mouth curving up into a smile.
****
When he steps out of the shuttle on Cloud 9, his mind is still whirling. Why did she say no? What did he miss?
Seemingly of their own accord, his feet drag him to that little spot in the back of the garden. He sinks down on the bench, staring into the fountain. It’s crazy. Just this morning, he never would’ve expected her answer to be ‘no.’ And now it’s all over his brain. Didn’t she love him? He shakes his head. Of course she does. She wouldn’t have put up with him for months if she didn’t. Maybe she simply isn’t ready to settle down yet. Or there was some other reason. It could have nothing to do with him (and a little voice inside him starts to hope, fervently, that that is the case). He’s only known her for a few months, after all, even if it seems like a lifetime to him.
He really wishes, now, that he could take that one moment back. The class ring, it was stupid. She deserves way better, in any case. And he probably should’ve checked whether she was ready for this, first, feel it out. But no, like some idiot, he just dove in and went ahead with it. When has spur-of-the-moment ever worked out for him? Never. Careful preparation, that’s what he was good at. He should’ve stuck to that.
He only hopes this stupid move hasn’t cost him Dee. Because if he knows one thing, it’s that he doesn’t want to let her go. Even if she decides they’re better off friends.
He sits on that bench for a long time, first thinking up apologies for Dee, for springing this on her so suddenly, then attempting to calm his thoughts. He does have work to do here, too. The inventory reports of Cloud 9 the President assigned him so he could sneak off and check out the roses. Which he obviously should have done.
****
After his work is done, Billy heads to the bar on Cloud 9, half planning on getting a little bit wasted after the ordeal this morning (but only a little bit - because he’s quite sure the President wouldn’t appreciate it if he got as drunk as he wants to be right now). An electric shock runs through him when he recognizes the back of her head. What is she doing here? He approaches, hesitantly - maybe it’s not her. But it is. In a way, he’s glad. Now they can bypass avoiding each other for weeks and get straight to talking this whole thing out.
They’ve barely started talking to each other when suddenly Lee Adama returns with drinks. Billy looks from Lee to Dee and back. The guilty looks on their faces, the pity in Dee’s eyes, it tells the whole story without words. Turns out her refusal had nothing to do with him after all. They try to explain, try to apologize. He doesn’t want to hear it, not now.
He heads back to the people who helped him with the inventory. That drink will have to be for another day; he really can’t stand being in this bar for one moment longer.
Until shots ring out, forcing him to stay.
Author: hobbit_kate
Summary: Billy Keikeya plans to ask Dee the question.
Characters: Billy, Dee, Laura, Lee
Pairings: Billy/Dee, Lee/Dee
Rating: G
Warnings: None, really.
Thanks to: My wonderful, awesome betas letterstonorah and somadanne
Title, Author, and URL of the original story: Of Rings and Roses by charmed8620
Looking out of the window on the shuttle to Galactica, Billy thinks back to the President’s suggestion. The gardens on Cloud 9 were indeed very beautiful. In between preparations for Colonial Day, he remembers resting for a minute on a bench near a small fountain. It was right up against the edge. With only a hedge between it and the fake horizon, looking up killed the illusion a lot. It had a really nice view of the garden, though. Children playing, gardeners tending to the shrubbery and flowers, people walking in the fake sunshine. Cozy, secluded, romantic. Yes, that would be a great spot.
So what if there were no restaurants anymore. A picnic would be romantic, too, wouldn’t it? With a blanket, roses arranged in the middle of it. They could eat first, and then, before dessert, Billy could pop the question. Or maybe hide the ring in the dessert. He’d seen that in a chick flick at his sister’s once. The woman in the movie seemed to think it was romantic. Of course, his sisters did say it was unhygienic. And a choking hazard. Maybe he should just lay it on top of a piece of cake, like a decoration. If he could find cake, that is.
He supposes they could hold the wedding on Cloud 9, too. If Dee wants to, of course. He should probably let her decide about that. He can still hear the rows his older sister had with his mother about all the little details of her wedding. About the exact color of light blue the bridesmaids’ dresses needed to be (“I said baby blue, not sky blue, Mom!” - Billy couldn’t see any difference, they were all blue); about how the veil was too long, or too short, or too heavy, or too light (“Little Mia couldn’t possibly carry this fabric, Mom” versus “What if there’s too much wind, it would fly off!”); about how the dinner courses had too many apples in them. Too many apples. Billy shakes his head fondly at the memory. And through all this, his brother-in-law-to-be sat off to the side, content to let Sasha rant, shrugging it off when she yelled at him. Yes, Billy would definitely stay out of it. Dee would have her own perfect wedding in her head, and Billy resolved he’d make it happen exactly the way she wanted.
He remembers Sasha’s wedding as though it were yesterday, even though it’s been at least five years. He’d never seen his sister that happy before. She looked simply radiant. Billy imagines Dee looking like that, happy, smiling, in a pretty dress with a veil. He would be the proudest man in the universe to have her standing next to him, saying ‘yes’ to a life with him.
“Billy!”
Billy looks at the President, who’s practically shouting his name, her mouth curved in a teasing little smile.
“Shuttle to Billy,” she says. “Time to get your head off Cloud 9 and focus on presidential issues.”
Billy nods decisively. He can dream some more about life with Dee later, when this issue with the Valerii Cylon has been resolved one way or the other. Personally, he thinks they should just tell the Fleet. It’s not as though having a Cylon to study is a bad thing. The Fleet just needs to hear that they are in complete control of the situation.
****
The President and Billy are standing in the middle of one of Galactica’s hallways, further discussing the issue after having seen the Admiral. When he suddenly sees Dee turn the corner, his throat goes dry and he completely forgets what he was going to say. I’m going to marry that girl, he thinks. And suddenly he can’t wait. I’ve got the ring, right? He panics, feeling for it. Yes, it’s in his pocket.
He turns to the President, “Could I... erm, could I have a minute?”
“Sure,” she says, mock-seriously. “Important, m-hm.”
He looks at Dee’s retreating back, steeling his resolve, before turning back to his boss, who, in the few months after the attacks, has become the closest thing he has to family.
“You were saying about the hard questions?”
She looks at him, surprised, her mouth curving up into a smile.
****
When he steps out of the shuttle on Cloud 9, his mind is still whirling. Why did she say no? What did he miss?
Seemingly of their own accord, his feet drag him to that little spot in the back of the garden. He sinks down on the bench, staring into the fountain. It’s crazy. Just this morning, he never would’ve expected her answer to be ‘no.’ And now it’s all over his brain. Didn’t she love him? He shakes his head. Of course she does. She wouldn’t have put up with him for months if she didn’t. Maybe she simply isn’t ready to settle down yet. Or there was some other reason. It could have nothing to do with him (and a little voice inside him starts to hope, fervently, that that is the case). He’s only known her for a few months, after all, even if it seems like a lifetime to him.
He really wishes, now, that he could take that one moment back. The class ring, it was stupid. She deserves way better, in any case. And he probably should’ve checked whether she was ready for this, first, feel it out. But no, like some idiot, he just dove in and went ahead with it. When has spur-of-the-moment ever worked out for him? Never. Careful preparation, that’s what he was good at. He should’ve stuck to that.
He only hopes this stupid move hasn’t cost him Dee. Because if he knows one thing, it’s that he doesn’t want to let her go. Even if she decides they’re better off friends.
He sits on that bench for a long time, first thinking up apologies for Dee, for springing this on her so suddenly, then attempting to calm his thoughts. He does have work to do here, too. The inventory reports of Cloud 9 the President assigned him so he could sneak off and check out the roses. Which he obviously should have done.
****
After his work is done, Billy heads to the bar on Cloud 9, half planning on getting a little bit wasted after the ordeal this morning (but only a little bit - because he’s quite sure the President wouldn’t appreciate it if he got as drunk as he wants to be right now). An electric shock runs through him when he recognizes the back of her head. What is she doing here? He approaches, hesitantly - maybe it’s not her. But it is. In a way, he’s glad. Now they can bypass avoiding each other for weeks and get straight to talking this whole thing out.
They’ve barely started talking to each other when suddenly Lee Adama returns with drinks. Billy looks from Lee to Dee and back. The guilty looks on their faces, the pity in Dee’s eyes, it tells the whole story without words. Turns out her refusal had nothing to do with him after all. They try to explain, try to apologize. He doesn’t want to hear it, not now.
He heads back to the people who helped him with the inventory. That drink will have to be for another day; he really can’t stand being in this bar for one moment longer.
Until shots ring out, forcing him to stay.