Chapter IX. Here and Now
Chapter: IX -Here and Now
Rating: MA
Characters: Adama and Roslin (Pairing) and various others.
Disclaimer: We do not own these characters/BSG. We are making no profit from this.
Warnings: None
Chapter 9: Here and Now
The damp from the ground began to seep through the fabric of Bill’s pants as he knelt next to Laura. Bill's arm wrapped around her shoulders, pulling her closer. It was an act of comfort as well as a desire to protect her. What he was protecting her from he wasn't entirely sure and that bothered him. But one thing he knew for sure was that the statue certainly couldn't hurt them - in any way.
“This is a very important revelation Laura.” Baltar directed what he had to say at her and ignored Bill. “It must be a sign. From the one true god.”
“Kindly keep your opinions to yourself Mr. Baltar,” Bill snapped as he raised himself off of the ground, his hand going to Laura's elbow to assist her in standing.
Laura's hand gripped Bill's as they made their way back towards the boundary of No Man’s Land in silence. Neither looked back.
The wind carried the excited chatter of Baltar's followers, as he preached to them about the one true god and the first of the 'revelations'.
At the boundary edge, Kara still stood fixed to the spot where Bill and Laura had left her. She could tell by the Admiral's expression that whatever they had just witnessed had rattled them. Kara hadn't ever seen The Old Man look so pale. Laura wore the same tired and haunted expression her husband had.
“What the frak was that all about?” Kara asked them as they reached her.
Laura stopped and looked behind her and then to Bill, her hand still gripping his tightly. “Us,” she told Kara simply.
“You?”
Bill nodded, “Us.”
“I don't get it!” Kara shrugged.
Laura chuckled; it was the absurdity of it all, “You aren't alone there commander.”
Bill looked at his wife and raised an eyebrow at her. “You think this is funny?” He asked, somewhat bemused by her reaction.
“Funny? No. No I don't.” She shook her head, “It had to be us didn't it?” With that she let go of his hand and began to walk away from them.
“What the frak is she talking about?” Kara asked Bill as she watched Laura walk away.
“You might be better off going and seeing for yourself,” he replied and took off after his wife.
He finally caught up with her, his hand going to her arm and halting her. “Laura,” he rumbled.
“Not here Bill.”
He understood. Taking her hand he linked her arm through his and they began the journey back to the settlement.
***
Kara watched as Laura and Bill walked away. She couldn't help the feeling of nervousness, even terror, at the thought of going into No Man's Land and seeing for herself what had completely shaken the two leaders.
In the distance she could see Baltar and his followers surrounding something. Something big. She couldn't make out what it was from where she was stood.
Gingerly Kara stepped out over the invisible border and into unfamiliar territory. Slowly she headed for Baltar and the group of women who worshipped him and his god.
He caught sight of her and rushed towards her, “Commander Thrace!”
“Gaius,” she nodded in greeting.
“You must come and see this.” He took hold of her arm and ushered he towards the statues, “You won't believe it.”
“What the frak is it?”
“You will see.” He pulled her around the side of the statues and pointed, “This is a sign don't you think?”
Kara looked from Baltar to the statues of the Admiral and his wife and back again. Her jaw dropping as the scene unfolded before her. “Frak me,” she breathed.
“Not quite the reaction I think this deserves Commander Thrace,” Baltar chided.
“I....what the frak did you expect me to say?” Kara rubbed her forehead. “No wonder the Old Man and Laura looked so damn pale.”
“Yes. Quite,” Baltar nodded in agreement. “It must have come as shock to the both of them.”
“No shit.” Kara scoffed at him stating the obvious. She stepped closer and ran her hand over the smooth stone. Something nagged at her; she couldn't quite put her finger on it. So close but still so far.
“This is a message from the past.” Baltar stated.
Kara looked up at him and frowned before turning back to the figures. Kara's mind flashed back to the words Leoben had said to her. All this has happen before and all this will happen again.
With that thought in her mind the scene suddenly contracted - the very air stilling and then snapping backwards. Reality collapsed. For a split second Kara stood before the statues, on the carefully manicured lawn belonging to a huge building, ostentatious and boasting importance. She could hear the chatter of people around her; squeals of children, casual conversations of parents, lovers and business people. She was in a park, the park that backed onto the ….
“Commander?” Baltar touched her shoulder and the vision vanished. Instantly the grass was replaced with sand, the buildings vanished into nothingness, and the noise of the public became the low murmurings of Baltar’s followers.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
Kara simply nodded and shrugged his hand off her arm, “Fine.”
All this has happen before and all this will happen again.
***
It had begun to rain, and a fine mist was rolling off the sea, enveloping their surroundings. Laura shivered and leaned closer to Bill as they walked. They hadn't said two words since he had caught up with her.
Bill was deep in thought, his brow furrowed. It wasn't the statues that bothered him; after all they were only stone. It wasn't even the fact that the statues were of them, yes it confused him, but he could put it out of his mind. What was worrying him was how Laura was going to react to this when she had finally processed it all.
He knew she wouldn't be able to just put it out of her mind. He knew that she would dwell on the subject, even become obsessed with trying to find out what it all meant. All Bill wanted was to finish their house, move in and live out the rest of their days in peace. Just them. He craved an un-eventful life, something he hadn't had since he joined the military and certainly hadn't had in the last five years since the attacks on the colonies.
Even so, he couldn’t help wondering what it all meant. Had they been here before? Lived before? Loved before? It didn’t escape him that the statues echoed his dream. Were the dreams there to build up to this discovery? Is that why he was having them? Had Laura had them as well? He shook his head slightly, trying clear his mind of all these questions he wasn't sure he wanted answering or if indeed they could ever be answered.
What he knew he wanted - beyond a doubt - was to be with Laura in peace. Hadn’t they earned that right?
“You're quiet,” Laura eventually spoke as they neared their section of the settlement.
“So are you.”
“Was thinking.”
“Me too,” he replied just as he was almost knocked flying by a very determined Saul Tigh.
Tigh rounded the corner of a building, the mist making it near on impossible to see four foot in front of him.
“Frak!” he exclaimed as he collided with Bill. “Watch where you're frakking.....” he trailed off as he focused on the figure he had run into. “Bill!”
“Saul,” Bill answered rubbing his shoulder.
“Sorry. I didn't see ya there,” Tigh quickly added.
“You are in a hurry by the looks of it.”
“Yeah, uhm, got an appointment with Natashi to see Cottle,” Tigh explained. “I am runnin' late.”
Laura noticed that he looked flustered, something quite unusual for Tigh who was normally so laid back, well except when he was drunk or angry. “When is she due to have the twins?”
“‘Bout three weeks time,” Tigh told her. “I should get goin'.” He nodded politely and took off again towards Cottle's surgery.
Bill looked after him and then at Laura, “Was it me or was he acting strange?”
“It’s Saul - nothing would surprise me with him. But you have a point.”
***
Jack Cottle walked idly through the barren wasteland. He had one hand buried deep in his lab coat pocket and the other brandished a cigarette, dripping with ash.
The aged doctor sighed heavily when he saw a crumpled form in the distance, a telltale pool of blood, spread beneath the broken body in a murky brown puddle. His grave expression didn’t change, not even to one of surprise, as he got closer and saw D’Anna’s grey, lifeless face.
“You were warned, you foolish girl.”
Bending down, he brushed his fingers over D’Anna’s open eyes, gently shutting them, “You never learn, do you?”
Standing up, the doctor looked around, his brown eyes surveying the land, looking for something.
Drawing deeply on his cigarette, he thought hard, letting the smoke sooth and calm him.
“Where the frak was it...” he grumbled, squinting.
He blew the smoke into the air and picked a direction by instinct, walking casually to the left. He trudged along calmly, enjoying the quiet walk. As he walked he became aware of the commotion in the distance, the excited chattering and the frantic exclamations.
Nodding to himself, he knew he had found the right place. It was hard to tell with all the damn sand.
As he waded down the hill he could make out the statues in the distance, surrounded by a growing flock of people.
Jack drew again on his cigarette and then dropped the rest to the ground, smashing it with his heel, “And so it begins again. I’m getting too old for this crap.”
***
Bill pressed the release button to unlock the hatch to their landed craft and stepped aside to let Laura pass. She removed her jacket and threw it over a chair. Walking over to the drinks cart she poured herself a drink, putting the glass to her lips throwing it down in one go.
“You want one?” She asked Bill as he joined her.
“Please. A large one.”
He took the glass from her and slumped down on their rack. Quietly he sipped his drink and waited. He knew they had to discuss this, but he wanted her to start the conversation. She would either tell him what he was dreading - some nonsense about past lives - or, she would surprise him by thinking the way he did.
“Bill,” she began. “We should talk about this.”
He nodded in agreement staring straight ahead. He didn't want to see the expression he knew she was wearing. It would be one of determination. Determination to know the truth.
“What the hell are we Bill?” she began.
He cut her off, “We aren't anything other than Bill and Laura Adama.”
Laura scoffed, “Out in the middle of 'No Man's Land' there just happens to be a very large statue of Bill and Laura Adama!” She started to pace. “You can't just brush this under the rug Bill.”
He stood up and placed his empty glass on the drinks cart. His hand went out to take hers, to stop her from pacing. “If you pace up and down anymore you will wear a hole in the deck,” he teased softly.
She stopped moving and turned to face him, “I need to know what all of this is about. Have we lived before? Been to Earth before? What does it mean?”
“I can't answer that for you Laura.” He pulled her closer and wrapped his arms around her waist, his forehead coming to rest against hers. “Clearly it meant something, what that is I have no idea. But I am not interested in finding out. None of it matters Laura. We have a new life, we’re married, the house is nearly finished. It just want to live our lives for us now. I am getting to old for all this.”
“Bill I wish sometimes you would just open your eyes! You can't shut yourself off from this. It won't just go away.”
“It is the past. Why are you insistent on making it our future as well?” Bill asked her, annoyed.
“Because maybe it is our future Bill.”
“I don't see how it could possibly be,” he huffed and walked away from her, heading towards the door. He snatched his coat up, “It doesn't have to mean anything Laura.”
“Well they aren't there for decoration are they?” she snapped.
“I am going out. I need to clear my head.” He pushed the hatch release and left her standing, hands on her hips.
***
Scooping up a trowel full of cement he slapped it on a brick before stacking it next to the previous one. He had been at this for an hour now and had only laid six bricks. Sighing he threw the trowel in the cement bucket and eased himself down on to a dry part of the wall. Bill rested his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands. This was all too much. For four years they had followed prophesy. Scripture had lead them to Earth. And even that he had a hard time believing. That whole time he had believed in Laura - not Pythia: Laura. The woman he loved - the woman he married. He had come along way: she had given him faith, she had made him believe. But past lives? No, it was too much.
He tried to think of alternatives, even things Laura would accept. Maybe, the statues were Earth's version of Pythia: maybe a seer had foretold their arrival. That was a damn better theory than past lives, but even that was hard to get his head around.
“Bill?” Laura called as she walked into their house through a gap reserved for a door.
“In here,” he sighed, not moving, only lifting his head out of his hands.
“I thought I just might find you here,” she smiled slightly. “What is it with you and building things when you need to think...hmm?” She crouched down in front of him, her hands coming to rest on his knees.
“Helps me think,” he told her returning her smile sheepishly. “Sorry I stormed out.”
“It doesn't matter,” she squeezed his knee gently. “But I don't think this is something we aren’t going to be able to push aside. People will have found out about the statues now and questions are going to get asked.”
He nodded, “I know. It's just...I don't want it to take over everything else. Promise me that isn't going to happen Laura.”
“Let's go home, it’s getting dark.” She pushed herself up and held out her hand to him. He took it and entwined his fingers with hers.
“You didn't answer me.”
“I don't have an answer.”
***
Laura sat next to him on the small couch, one they had bought down from Galactica to try and make the temporary accommodation more comfortable. Her head rested on his shoulder as they shared an after dinner drink. He had been quiet all through their meal and had hardly said anything since it. He swirled the liquid in his glass and drank up the last of it before setting it on the arm of the chair.
“Make love to me Bill,” she whispered in his ear before standing and offering him her hand. He took it and followed silently as she led him to their bed, stopping in front of it.
Bill moved behind her and slipped his arms around her waist, pulling her back until she was flush against his chest.
Pushing the collar of her shirt aside he dipped his head and placed feather light kisses along her shoulder and up her neck to the spot just below her ear. There he ended his journey, nipping on the lobe and then soothing with his tongue. A soft moan escaped Laura's lips in response, her hips pressing back into him. She wound her hand down between them, gripping his arousal through the rough fabric of his pants and rubbed him. Teased him.
“Laura...” Bill rasped, his breath hot against her ear.
She smiled and turned around to face him. Her hand cupped his cheek and drew him into a kiss. They kissed deeply. Slow and deliberately his tongue slid against hers. His fingers worked the buttons on her shirt; painstakingly slowly he began to undo each one from the bottom upwards. His calloused digits brushed the silky smooth skin of her stomach and the soft swells of her breasts as he pulled open the garment. Their kiss was never broken as he pushed her shirt over her shoulders, tugging as it reached her wrists, letting it drop to the floor.
Laura pulled at the hem of his t-shirt, hitching it up, her hands inching under it to feel the heat of his skin against her palms. Momentarily she broke the kiss as he assisted her in removing his shirt, raising it up and over his head.
Bill lowered his mouth to gently suckle on her right breast while his hand caressed the other. Laura moaned and raked her fingers through his hair, pushing it backwards away from his forehead. His lips travelled lower, kissing his way down her stomach and across her hip, just above the waist line of her pants. Grasping the coarse material of her pants he unfastened the button and worked the zipper down, kissing the exposed skin lustfully before pushing her pants and underwear down.
Laura stepped out of them and pulled him back up to his feet. “I want you,” she rasped as her lips met his again, her hands working the clasp of his belt clumsily.
Bill pushed her backwards onto the bed and allowed himself to be pulled down with her. His hands braced himself on the mattress, either side of her shoulders, to keep his weight off of her. His erection pressed at her entrance, his voice rough and laboured, “Laura...”
She silenced him with a kiss and reached down between them guiding him into her. Bill's chuckle at her impatience quickly became a groan as she bucked her hips, urging him to move. He began to thrust, setting a rhythm in perfect tune with her.
Their love making was slow and gentle. Tender kisses and whispered sentiments were shared as they moved passionately together. As he moved within her, he reached between their joined bodies and thumbed her clitoris, drawing her ever closer to oblivion.
Her body arched as she reached her climax, she softly cried out his name as her fingers clung desperately to his shoulders. The feeling of her orgasm around him made Bill groan loudly as he followed her over the edge.
Bill collapsed on top of her, his breath hot against the skin of her neck. She wrapped her arms around him and let her fingers run up and down his back, comforting him as their breathing and heart rate started to slow.
He lifted his head and looked into her eyes and smiled before placing a kiss to the tip of her nose, causing Laura to giggle.
She held him tightly in place when he tried to move off her, firmly she directed his head to rest on her breasts and stroked his hair, “Lay down, it’s ok.”
She massaged his scalp lovingly, willingly him into sleep. Laura knew he wanted nothing more than this - just to lay with her and forget the world outside. But she couldn’t forget. She needed to know the truth.
His breathing evened out and deepened as he drifted into sleep. Laura pressed a kiss against his head.
It felt so perfect, so right…maybe this wasn’t the first time they had been down this road.
It didn’t seem so unbelievable to think she had loved him before.
And would love him again.
AN: Once again thankyou for all your lovely feedback. It is greatly appreciated by both of us, and we are glad you are still continuing to enjoy!