Pyramid and Principals (3/6)
Title: Pyramid and Principals
Author: bsgroxmysox
Rating: K
Summary: Principal Roslin discovers a different side of the Pyramid Coach...
A/N: Once again, huge thank you to bsg_aussiegirl for basically making this chapter a lot better than when I wrote it :-)
“Why did you decide to be a teacher?” he asked.
She looked up, surprised he was interested. She’d expected to work in silence for however long it took them to get through his collection.
He had chosen a safe subject, though, she reasoned. It was something they had in common.
Laura found herself opening up to him. She told him how her mother had influenced her. How she had loved the way her mother’s face lit up when she talked about teaching. How much her mother’s students loved and respected her.
Bill’s experience was different.
“I joined the Military, served in the war. But then the Cylons disappeared. And with them, so did the pilot opportunities. I thought about becoming a civilian pilot, but that wasn’t the life for me; or my wife at the time. She wanted a lot more from her husband.”
He let out a small ironic snort. “Turns out a sports teacher wasn’t what she wanted from her husband either.”
He looked up at her, covering his hurt with a smile. Laura felt suddenly angry that his ex-wife had caused him so much pain. It was an unexpected reaction, considering she had always considered Bill Adama to be a stubborn and opinionated pain in her side.
Now...now she wasn’t sure how to describe him. Could her opinion change to such an extent in such a short time?
He moved the conversation onto another topic, and soon it flowed from subject to subject easily. Within the hour, they had developed an easy camaraderie.
She rather liked deliberately pressing his buttons. His face would initially harden in response, and then sweetly soften when he realised she was just teasing.
His laugh was quickly becoming her favourite thing about him. It loosened him up, letting her see the real Bill Adama under that tough Pyramid coach exterior. It occurred to her that maybe she was loosening up also, that he was seeing Laura; and not Principal Roslin.
That thought scared her terribly. It had been so long since she’d shown anyone the real Laura.
“You won’t find anything there.”
His voice interrupted her thoughts and she drew her hand away from the section she had moved onto.
“Why not?”
“That’s where I keep my favourites. I doubt anything there is suitable for the secondary school curriculum.”
Her eyebrows shot up as she considered what he had just said. His expression mirrored hers as he quickly realised how his words could be interpreted.
“Mysteries!” He blurted out quickly. “I like crime novels, lots of tension, some violence. Not appropriate for teenagers.”
“Mysteries. Hmm, is that what they’re calling it these days?”
She loved the embarrassed blush that crept along his cheeks at her joke. She thought he looked positively adorable.
She turned back to the shelves in question. She noted they had a lot less accumulated dust than the others. Her eyes scanned across the titles. One in particular made her gasp audibly.
“Oh my gods, I’ve been looking for this for weeks.”
Her nimble fingers plucked the book from its secure perch and leafed through its pages.
She became so engrossed in the ink across its pages, she didn’t notice Bill had moved to stand directly behind her.
“Hmm, Dark Day. That’s a good choice,” he murmured in her ear.
Embarrassed by her excited reaction she began to slide the book back into place until much stronger and warmer hands covered hers.
“Keep it,” he rumbled.
“Bill, I can’t-“
“Keep it.”
With that he moved towards the library doors muttering something about lunch. She stood in that room on her own for countless minutes, trying to catch her breath, and sort out her conflicting emotions.
Eventually, she ventured into the hallway and tried to navigate her way to the kitchen.
“If I was a kitchen where would I be?” she muttered to herself, peering into yet another empty room.
“Two doors down, on the left.”
Laura jumped at the sound of the voice behind her. There stood a young man who couldn’t have been more than 18 or 19.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you.” The boy took a step forward and extended his hand. “I’m Zak, it’s nice to meet you, Ms. Roslin.”
“How did you know my name?” Laura asked dumbly even as she reached out to shake the boy’s hand. She cocked her head, examining him further. Something about him seemed familiar.
“Dad asked me to go find you. Said you might have gotten lost or something.”
This was Bill’s son. Of course! He had his father’s same blue eyes. She hadn’t known he had children, but then again, it seems she hadn’t known a lot about him before today.
“It’s a very big house, I can’t seem to figure out these corridors.”
“I know what you mean. When Dad first moved here a few years ago, Lee and I would get lost on a daily basis.”
“Lee?”
“My older brother. Come on, I’ll show you where Dad is attempting to cook lunch.”
Zak strolled ahead and held open a wide door for her. She ducked under his arm to find herself standing in a large kitchen. Bill flashed her a smile from where he stood slicing up vegetables at a large wooden bench in the centre of the room.
“Glad you could finally join me,” he joked.
Zak moved to the far side of the room. There sat a large oak table which was scattered with a group of text books. Zak collapsed into one of the table’s chairs, flicking to his place in one of the books and madly scribbling notes.
“You’re in college, Zak?” she asked, taking a seat in a stool near Bill.
“Uh huh.”
“Zak here is studying psychology. Got in on a full scholarship.” She smiled as Bill puffed his chest out proudly.
“Seems a waste, I could have just done what Lee did,” Zak muttered.
Laura looked to Bill for an explanation.
“Lee joined the Military, he’ll be serving for six years, after which they’ll pay for his college tuition.”
“Taking after his father?” Laura whispered.
“Maybe,” Bill replied, looking up into her eyes. Then, suddenly his eyes were drawn to something behind her shoulder. “Frak!” he shouted, rushing around the bench to pull a boiling pot off the hotplate.
He threw the pot into the sink, then started jumping and shaking his hand around, as well as using a few more choice swear words.
It took Laura a moment to realise he’d burnt himself on both the pot’s handle and the steam.
She jumped up and found a cloth, running it under cold water. She gently reached out to cradle Bill’s hand, drizzling the water over the angry red blotches that were now flaring up on his skin.
“Thank you,” he murmured, catching her gaze.
She stepped back in confusion. He turned back and, using a cloth, strained the pot without further incident.
Zak stood and cleared away his book from the table before gathering the necessary cutlery and bowls.
“I hope you like noodles, Ms. Roslin. It’s all my Dad cooks.”
She didn’t like noodles, but seeing the look of apprehension on Bill’s face she chose to do something she usually hated: she lied.
“I love noodles.”
The look of relief and the smile he graced her with were proof she definitely chose the right option.
She was surprised at how relaxed she felt when the three of them sat down and began chatting happily as they ate.
Zak told them about the crush he had developed on Lee’s friend. Laura laughed openly as his father offered his son some dating advice.
“Just ask her out. Tell her why you like her if she wants to know. Don’t lie and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Just be you and if she likes you, good. If not, well then, it’s not meant to be.”
She felt her heart give a little flutter. Tell her why you like her. Don’t lie. Such simple advice but something most men forget when dating. If someone had asked her out like that she would have accepted without hesitation.
“Laura?”
She was snapped out of her trance by Bill’s voice calling her.
“I’m sorry did you say something?”
“I asked did you want to pack up the books we have?”
“Of course. Gods, I hope they’ll fit in my car.”
“I can take some in on Monday if you want,” he said as he guided her along the corridors, easily navigating his way back to the library.
Bill dragged out six large cardboard boxes into the hallway which were all filled with books for Laura to take into the school. There were even some books left over. He insisted on lugging each box himself, only relenting when after the second one he caught his shoe in a doorway and almost fell over.
Zak helped him carry the rest, both Adamas insisting she leave it to them. As they were moving the penultimate box she grabbed the last one. Heaving it up into her arms, almost breathless from the herculean task, she strolled past them with a bright smile.
She could hear Bill chuckling behind her.
All the boxes stored safely in her car they stood awkwardly waiting for someone to begin the goodbyes. Zak moved forward first, gripping her hand and pulling her closer to press a chaste kiss against her cheek.
He ignored his fathers glare and ducked back into the house, leaving Laura and Bill alone again.
“He’s a very sweet boy, Bill.”
“He’s very outgoing. Lee’s a lot quieter, harder to reach.”
The pain in his eyes was back again and Laura wished there was someway she could ease it. Her hand moved of its own volition to cup his cheek. His eyes flew up to meet hers. He smiled at her offer of comfort, but remained silent.
Laura let her hand drop, deciding to change the subject. “Thank you for this, Bill. The school means everything to me and these will help immensely.”
“They were just gathering dust here.”
“That may be true but they mean something to you. There’s a story behind them.”
His eyes narrowed and then he sighed heavily.
“Yeah, there’s a story. I’ll try to explain it to you sometime.”
“I’d like that.”
They shared another smile. She turned and somehow managed to close the door to her car.
“That’s a lot of books,” she laughed. “And we barely even made a dent on that library of yours.”
“We could always do this again. You can never have too many books in a school right?”
“I’d love to, Bill,” she replied breathlessly.
“Great, next Saturday we can tackle the top shelves.”
Laura froze at his words. She had forgotten about Marcie’s plans. Maybe I should cancel them, she thought as she looked into Bill Adama’s hopeful eyes.
“Actually Bill I have plans next Saturday. Is there any other day that suits?”
“Wednesday afternoon good for you? The team has practice every other day this week and we have a game on Friday.”
“Wednesday is perfect,” she answered quickly. It was even closer than Saturday. Perfect.
The silence stretched between them to an almost uncomfortable level. Bill was the one to break it by leaning forward and placing a kiss against her cheek. It was every bit as chaste as the one his son had bestowed upon her but the way his lips lingered made it seem altogether different.
She could feel his breath against her neck, her hair ruffling with his every exhale . When he eventually pulled away she could see desire filling his eyes. She presumed her eyes held the same look.
No words were spoken as she climbed into the car and drove down the narrow driveway, a lot slower due to the extra weight. Glancing in her mirror she spotted him still in the same spot she left him, staring after her.
She couldn’t comprehend how much had changed thanks to one afternoon with him and his books. However, she knew two things: she was looking forward to seeing him at school on Monday; and she was even more excited about returning to his house on Wednesday.
Chapter Four
Author: bsgroxmysox
Rating: K
Summary: Principal Roslin discovers a different side of the Pyramid Coach...
A/N: Once again, huge thank you to bsg_aussiegirl for basically making this chapter a lot better than when I wrote it :-)
“Why did you decide to be a teacher?” he asked.
She looked up, surprised he was interested. She’d expected to work in silence for however long it took them to get through his collection.
He had chosen a safe subject, though, she reasoned. It was something they had in common.
Laura found herself opening up to him. She told him how her mother had influenced her. How she had loved the way her mother’s face lit up when she talked about teaching. How much her mother’s students loved and respected her.
Bill’s experience was different.
“I joined the Military, served in the war. But then the Cylons disappeared. And with them, so did the pilot opportunities. I thought about becoming a civilian pilot, but that wasn’t the life for me; or my wife at the time. She wanted a lot more from her husband.”
He let out a small ironic snort. “Turns out a sports teacher wasn’t what she wanted from her husband either.”
He looked up at her, covering his hurt with a smile. Laura felt suddenly angry that his ex-wife had caused him so much pain. It was an unexpected reaction, considering she had always considered Bill Adama to be a stubborn and opinionated pain in her side.
Now...now she wasn’t sure how to describe him. Could her opinion change to such an extent in such a short time?
He moved the conversation onto another topic, and soon it flowed from subject to subject easily. Within the hour, they had developed an easy camaraderie.
She rather liked deliberately pressing his buttons. His face would initially harden in response, and then sweetly soften when he realised she was just teasing.
His laugh was quickly becoming her favourite thing about him. It loosened him up, letting her see the real Bill Adama under that tough Pyramid coach exterior. It occurred to her that maybe she was loosening up also, that he was seeing Laura; and not Principal Roslin.
That thought scared her terribly. It had been so long since she’d shown anyone the real Laura.
“You won’t find anything there.”
His voice interrupted her thoughts and she drew her hand away from the section she had moved onto.
“Why not?”
“That’s where I keep my favourites. I doubt anything there is suitable for the secondary school curriculum.”
Her eyebrows shot up as she considered what he had just said. His expression mirrored hers as he quickly realised how his words could be interpreted.
“Mysteries!” He blurted out quickly. “I like crime novels, lots of tension, some violence. Not appropriate for teenagers.”
“Mysteries. Hmm, is that what they’re calling it these days?”
She loved the embarrassed blush that crept along his cheeks at her joke. She thought he looked positively adorable.
She turned back to the shelves in question. She noted they had a lot less accumulated dust than the others. Her eyes scanned across the titles. One in particular made her gasp audibly.
“Oh my gods, I’ve been looking for this for weeks.”
Her nimble fingers plucked the book from its secure perch and leafed through its pages.
She became so engrossed in the ink across its pages, she didn’t notice Bill had moved to stand directly behind her.
“Hmm, Dark Day. That’s a good choice,” he murmured in her ear.
Embarrassed by her excited reaction she began to slide the book back into place until much stronger and warmer hands covered hers.
“Keep it,” he rumbled.
“Bill, I can’t-“
“Keep it.”
With that he moved towards the library doors muttering something about lunch. She stood in that room on her own for countless minutes, trying to catch her breath, and sort out her conflicting emotions.
Eventually, she ventured into the hallway and tried to navigate her way to the kitchen.
“If I was a kitchen where would I be?” she muttered to herself, peering into yet another empty room.
“Two doors down, on the left.”
Laura jumped at the sound of the voice behind her. There stood a young man who couldn’t have been more than 18 or 19.
“I’m sorry I didn’t mean to startle you.” The boy took a step forward and extended his hand. “I’m Zak, it’s nice to meet you, Ms. Roslin.”
“How did you know my name?” Laura asked dumbly even as she reached out to shake the boy’s hand. She cocked her head, examining him further. Something about him seemed familiar.
“Dad asked me to go find you. Said you might have gotten lost or something.”
This was Bill’s son. Of course! He had his father’s same blue eyes. She hadn’t known he had children, but then again, it seems she hadn’t known a lot about him before today.
“It’s a very big house, I can’t seem to figure out these corridors.”
“I know what you mean. When Dad first moved here a few years ago, Lee and I would get lost on a daily basis.”
“Lee?”
“My older brother. Come on, I’ll show you where Dad is attempting to cook lunch.”
Zak strolled ahead and held open a wide door for her. She ducked under his arm to find herself standing in a large kitchen. Bill flashed her a smile from where he stood slicing up vegetables at a large wooden bench in the centre of the room.
“Glad you could finally join me,” he joked.
Zak moved to the far side of the room. There sat a large oak table which was scattered with a group of text books. Zak collapsed into one of the table’s chairs, flicking to his place in one of the books and madly scribbling notes.
“You’re in college, Zak?” she asked, taking a seat in a stool near Bill.
“Uh huh.”
“Zak here is studying psychology. Got in on a full scholarship.” She smiled as Bill puffed his chest out proudly.
“Seems a waste, I could have just done what Lee did,” Zak muttered.
Laura looked to Bill for an explanation.
“Lee joined the Military, he’ll be serving for six years, after which they’ll pay for his college tuition.”
“Taking after his father?” Laura whispered.
“Maybe,” Bill replied, looking up into her eyes. Then, suddenly his eyes were drawn to something behind her shoulder. “Frak!” he shouted, rushing around the bench to pull a boiling pot off the hotplate.
He threw the pot into the sink, then started jumping and shaking his hand around, as well as using a few more choice swear words.
It took Laura a moment to realise he’d burnt himself on both the pot’s handle and the steam.
She jumped up and found a cloth, running it under cold water. She gently reached out to cradle Bill’s hand, drizzling the water over the angry red blotches that were now flaring up on his skin.
“Thank you,” he murmured, catching her gaze.
She stepped back in confusion. He turned back and, using a cloth, strained the pot without further incident.
Zak stood and cleared away his book from the table before gathering the necessary cutlery and bowls.
“I hope you like noodles, Ms. Roslin. It’s all my Dad cooks.”
She didn’t like noodles, but seeing the look of apprehension on Bill’s face she chose to do something she usually hated: she lied.
“I love noodles.”
The look of relief and the smile he graced her with were proof she definitely chose the right option.
She was surprised at how relaxed she felt when the three of them sat down and began chatting happily as they ate.
Zak told them about the crush he had developed on Lee’s friend. Laura laughed openly as his father offered his son some dating advice.
“Just ask her out. Tell her why you like her if she wants to know. Don’t lie and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not. Just be you and if she likes you, good. If not, well then, it’s not meant to be.”
She felt her heart give a little flutter. Tell her why you like her. Don’t lie. Such simple advice but something most men forget when dating. If someone had asked her out like that she would have accepted without hesitation.
“Laura?”
She was snapped out of her trance by Bill’s voice calling her.
“I’m sorry did you say something?”
“I asked did you want to pack up the books we have?”
“Of course. Gods, I hope they’ll fit in my car.”
“I can take some in on Monday if you want,” he said as he guided her along the corridors, easily navigating his way back to the library.
Bill dragged out six large cardboard boxes into the hallway which were all filled with books for Laura to take into the school. There were even some books left over. He insisted on lugging each box himself, only relenting when after the second one he caught his shoe in a doorway and almost fell over.
Zak helped him carry the rest, both Adamas insisting she leave it to them. As they were moving the penultimate box she grabbed the last one. Heaving it up into her arms, almost breathless from the herculean task, she strolled past them with a bright smile.
She could hear Bill chuckling behind her.
All the boxes stored safely in her car they stood awkwardly waiting for someone to begin the goodbyes. Zak moved forward first, gripping her hand and pulling her closer to press a chaste kiss against her cheek.
He ignored his fathers glare and ducked back into the house, leaving Laura and Bill alone again.
“He’s a very sweet boy, Bill.”
“He’s very outgoing. Lee’s a lot quieter, harder to reach.”
The pain in his eyes was back again and Laura wished there was someway she could ease it. Her hand moved of its own volition to cup his cheek. His eyes flew up to meet hers. He smiled at her offer of comfort, but remained silent.
Laura let her hand drop, deciding to change the subject. “Thank you for this, Bill. The school means everything to me and these will help immensely.”
“They were just gathering dust here.”
“That may be true but they mean something to you. There’s a story behind them.”
His eyes narrowed and then he sighed heavily.
“Yeah, there’s a story. I’ll try to explain it to you sometime.”
“I’d like that.”
They shared another smile. She turned and somehow managed to close the door to her car.
“That’s a lot of books,” she laughed. “And we barely even made a dent on that library of yours.”
“We could always do this again. You can never have too many books in a school right?”
“I’d love to, Bill,” she replied breathlessly.
“Great, next Saturday we can tackle the top shelves.”
Laura froze at his words. She had forgotten about Marcie’s plans. Maybe I should cancel them, she thought as she looked into Bill Adama’s hopeful eyes.
“Actually Bill I have plans next Saturday. Is there any other day that suits?”
“Wednesday afternoon good for you? The team has practice every other day this week and we have a game on Friday.”
“Wednesday is perfect,” she answered quickly. It was even closer than Saturday. Perfect.
The silence stretched between them to an almost uncomfortable level. Bill was the one to break it by leaning forward and placing a kiss against her cheek. It was every bit as chaste as the one his son had bestowed upon her but the way his lips lingered made it seem altogether different.
She could feel his breath against her neck, her hair ruffling with his every exhale . When he eventually pulled away she could see desire filling his eyes. She presumed her eyes held the same look.
No words were spoken as she climbed into the car and drove down the narrow driveway, a lot slower due to the extra weight. Glancing in her mirror she spotted him still in the same spot she left him, staring after her.
She couldn’t comprehend how much had changed thanks to one afternoon with him and his books. However, she knew two things: she was looking forward to seeing him at school on Monday; and she was even more excited about returning to his house on Wednesday.
Chapter Four