A Marked Slate
Title: A Marked Slate
Author: aka_plynn
Rating: T, at the most conservative
The late summer sky was darkening over the lake, turning the clear water a stunning shade of blue. It was the color that made her fall in love with the spot when she found it; it reminded her of him.
And now, seated between Bill's bent knees with her back against his chest, Laura Roslin watched the sky as the first stars and planets began to emerge. “I'm glad you're here,” she said, her voice lazy with happiness, and she smiled as his hands stroked down her arms, warming her in the cooling air.
“So am I.” He dipped his chin and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her waist. His mouth lingered, and Laura could feel him taking a deep, controlled breath as his arms tightened. Oh, Bill. She covered his hands with hers, fitting her fingers into the spaces between his, and squeezed back.
She angled her head to nuzzle his temple. “I missed you, too,” Laura whispered into his hair, and then turned back to the lake. “It certainly took you long enough.” Her knee jostled his, and she could feel his wry chuckle before she heard it.
“I tried to get here sooner, but I just couldn't.”
Laura picked up the familiar self-recrimination in his tone and she squeezed his hands again. “No, it's better this way. It gave me the chance to explore a little first and play tour guide.”
This time, his laughter held real amusement. “True. You have been enjoying that.”
“So have you, Sir.” Laura grinned, indulging in a few choice sensory memories from their initial reunion. By the shift in Bill's breathing, she guessed he was having similar thoughts.
“So say we all.”
They sat like that, leaning against one of the large, fallen trees that dotted the shore, until the sky had completed its transformation into night and the stars were reflected in the water. It felt fantastic to have nowhere to be, no one waiting for their attentions, no responsibilities except to enjoy the moment. Laura was relieved that Bill seemed to be embracing this new world, albeit in his slow, grudging way, because as she had said to him once on a similar night, now was all they had. And it was good.
“What was your favorite holiday? Before?” Bill asked out of nowhere, and Laura smiled. It had become something of a game between them, asking all of the little questions they never had time for between meetings and fuel reports. She filed away every precious fact - he loved fishing, hated Tauron stew but ate it anyway, had a weakness for sappy ballads - and cherished the knowledge that it was unlikely she'd ever learn everything. She never wanted the game to end.
“Hmm,” Laura sighed, and tipped her head back to rest on his shoulder. “I always liked New Year's Eve. There was something about the idea of a fresh start that I appreciated. A clean slate.” She paused, lost in thought.
“I think you just liked the dancing,” Bill said, breaking her out of her introspection.
Laura made a non-committal hum low in her throat. “I would have, if I'd had you to dance with, Admiral.” The idea of moving across the floor of a ballroom in his arms made her sigh. “It's a shame I didn't ever take you to one of the Presidential galas. They were completely over the top. Richard always had a thing for opulence.” She chuckled at Bill's derisive snort. “You would have hated it, I know. But you would have looked so spiffy in your dress grays,” Laura said, snuggling back into him a bit more.
Bill leaned his cheek against her temple. “Describe it to me.”
Laura closed her eyes and tried to recall the last ball she had attended. “Well, it would be at the Presidential Estate, in Thetis. There was a huge ballroom there, easily three times the size of the one on Cloud 9. It would be decorated in white and silver, with those giant, Geminese lilies everywhere.” She could smell the flowers even now, as if they were surrounding her, and she took a deep breath. “There would be a band, probably a small jazz group, off to the left near the windows, and everyone would be dancing because the bar is open.”
Bill chuckled at that, and Laura grinned. She kept her eyes closed, lost in her own imagery. It all seemed so vivid, still, as if only days had passed instead of years. She could almost hear the horns bleating out an upbeat melody and the chatter of a room full of buzzed politicians. “What are you wearing?” Bill asked near her ear, and she laughed and shook her head.
“You tell me.”
“Something red,” he said, and the decisiveness in his voice made her shiver. “Something that leaves your shoulders bare. And your hair is up.”
“All right.”
“Can you see it, Laura?” Bill asked against her neck. She nodded; she could see it, hear it, could even feel the cool air drifting from the fans set about the room. “Good. Open your eyes.”
She did, and gasped.
The Presidential mansion's grand ballroom in full splendor lay before her, filled to the brim with light and laughter. Banners and draped silk clung to the walls, and the fabric rippled in the gently moving air as happy couples twirled on the floor. Laura stood speechless, mesmerized, until she felt warm hands on her shoulders. “How'd I do?” Bill asked from behind her, pride evident in his rhetorical question. He did good, and he knew it.
“It's perfect, Bill.” She turned to face him and stroked her palm down his decorated sash. “You're getting better at this,” she marveled, gesturing to the room around them.
He beamed. “I've been practicing.” He took her hand in his and Laura adored the way his eyes warmed when he ran his thumb over the band on her finger. “Shall we?”
“It'd be a shame to waste the music,” she answered, and led him to the dance floor.
They moved as well together as they did the first time they danced. Their bodies knew one another even better now, and Laura enjoyed how effortless it felt to be in his arms. She looked over the crowd as they roamed the floor, and smiled at the familiar faces - Donna, her former college roomate; Jack and Cheryl, Sandra and Michelle; even Elosha, perched near the appetizers and speaking with Billy.
“Thank you,” Laura murmured, and dropped her head to rest on Bill's shoulder as they swayed.
“Anything, Laura,” Bill said, holding her just a touch closer. “Whatever you want.”
New Year's Eve had always been about new beginnings to Laura, and this one was no different. Only this time, she didn't want a clean slate. She had an eternity to write her history now, and she was going to keep every second.
Author: aka_plynn
Rating: T, at the most conservative
The late summer sky was darkening over the lake, turning the clear water a stunning shade of blue. It was the color that made her fall in love with the spot when she found it; it reminded her of him.
And now, seated between Bill's bent knees with her back against his chest, Laura Roslin watched the sky as the first stars and planets began to emerge. “I'm glad you're here,” she said, her voice lazy with happiness, and she smiled as his hands stroked down her arms, warming her in the cooling air.
“So am I.” He dipped his chin and pressed a kiss to her shoulder, and wrapped his arms around her waist. His mouth lingered, and Laura could feel him taking a deep, controlled breath as his arms tightened. Oh, Bill. She covered his hands with hers, fitting her fingers into the spaces between his, and squeezed back.
She angled her head to nuzzle his temple. “I missed you, too,” Laura whispered into his hair, and then turned back to the lake. “It certainly took you long enough.” Her knee jostled his, and she could feel his wry chuckle before she heard it.
“I tried to get here sooner, but I just couldn't.”
Laura picked up the familiar self-recrimination in his tone and she squeezed his hands again. “No, it's better this way. It gave me the chance to explore a little first and play tour guide.”
This time, his laughter held real amusement. “True. You have been enjoying that.”
“So have you, Sir.” Laura grinned, indulging in a few choice sensory memories from their initial reunion. By the shift in Bill's breathing, she guessed he was having similar thoughts.
“So say we all.”
They sat like that, leaning against one of the large, fallen trees that dotted the shore, until the sky had completed its transformation into night and the stars were reflected in the water. It felt fantastic to have nowhere to be, no one waiting for their attentions, no responsibilities except to enjoy the moment. Laura was relieved that Bill seemed to be embracing this new world, albeit in his slow, grudging way, because as she had said to him once on a similar night, now was all they had. And it was good.
“What was your favorite holiday? Before?” Bill asked out of nowhere, and Laura smiled. It had become something of a game between them, asking all of the little questions they never had time for between meetings and fuel reports. She filed away every precious fact - he loved fishing, hated Tauron stew but ate it anyway, had a weakness for sappy ballads - and cherished the knowledge that it was unlikely she'd ever learn everything. She never wanted the game to end.
“Hmm,” Laura sighed, and tipped her head back to rest on his shoulder. “I always liked New Year's Eve. There was something about the idea of a fresh start that I appreciated. A clean slate.” She paused, lost in thought.
“I think you just liked the dancing,” Bill said, breaking her out of her introspection.
Laura made a non-committal hum low in her throat. “I would have, if I'd had you to dance with, Admiral.” The idea of moving across the floor of a ballroom in his arms made her sigh. “It's a shame I didn't ever take you to one of the Presidential galas. They were completely over the top. Richard always had a thing for opulence.” She chuckled at Bill's derisive snort. “You would have hated it, I know. But you would have looked so spiffy in your dress grays,” Laura said, snuggling back into him a bit more.
Bill leaned his cheek against her temple. “Describe it to me.”
Laura closed her eyes and tried to recall the last ball she had attended. “Well, it would be at the Presidential Estate, in Thetis. There was a huge ballroom there, easily three times the size of the one on Cloud 9. It would be decorated in white and silver, with those giant, Geminese lilies everywhere.” She could smell the flowers even now, as if they were surrounding her, and she took a deep breath. “There would be a band, probably a small jazz group, off to the left near the windows, and everyone would be dancing because the bar is open.”
Bill chuckled at that, and Laura grinned. She kept her eyes closed, lost in her own imagery. It all seemed so vivid, still, as if only days had passed instead of years. She could almost hear the horns bleating out an upbeat melody and the chatter of a room full of buzzed politicians. “What are you wearing?” Bill asked near her ear, and she laughed and shook her head.
“You tell me.”
“Something red,” he said, and the decisiveness in his voice made her shiver. “Something that leaves your shoulders bare. And your hair is up.”
“All right.”
“Can you see it, Laura?” Bill asked against her neck. She nodded; she could see it, hear it, could even feel the cool air drifting from the fans set about the room. “Good. Open your eyes.”
She did, and gasped.
The Presidential mansion's grand ballroom in full splendor lay before her, filled to the brim with light and laughter. Banners and draped silk clung to the walls, and the fabric rippled in the gently moving air as happy couples twirled on the floor. Laura stood speechless, mesmerized, until she felt warm hands on her shoulders. “How'd I do?” Bill asked from behind her, pride evident in his rhetorical question. He did good, and he knew it.
“It's perfect, Bill.” She turned to face him and stroked her palm down his decorated sash. “You're getting better at this,” she marveled, gesturing to the room around them.
He beamed. “I've been practicing.” He took her hand in his and Laura adored the way his eyes warmed when he ran his thumb over the band on her finger. “Shall we?”
“It'd be a shame to waste the music,” she answered, and led him to the dance floor.
They moved as well together as they did the first time they danced. Their bodies knew one another even better now, and Laura enjoyed how effortless it felt to be in his arms. She looked over the crowd as they roamed the floor, and smiled at the familiar faces - Donna, her former college roomate; Jack and Cheryl, Sandra and Michelle; even Elosha, perched near the appetizers and speaking with Billy.
“Thank you,” Laura murmured, and dropped her head to rest on Bill's shoulder as they swayed.
“Anything, Laura,” Bill said, holding her just a touch closer. “Whatever you want.”
New Year's Eve had always been about new beginnings to Laura, and this one was no different. Only this time, she didn't want a clean slate. She had an eternity to write her history now, and she was going to keep every second.