A/N: This idea came to me in that wonderful place between asleep and awake. : )


“But you don’t know that you’re one of them?” the Three said seriously.

Something inside Laura clicked and came to life. She felt it as acutely as she felt her cancer.

Deanna burst into laughter. “Oh, your face! That’s ridiculous! No, look, I’m not saying anything until I’m safe.”


~*~


“Missed you.”

“Me too.”

Overcome with unexpressed emotion, they held each other.

“I love you,” she said emotionally, struggling to hold back her tears.

He pulled back slowly, staring into her eyes. “About time.”

She smiled and hummed softly. He kissed her temple and their gazes locked as he touched her face. Caution was thrown to the wind and they hugged tightly, desperately. Laura squeezed her eyes closed, emotionally overwhelmed by the day’s events, by the feelings she was finally allowing herself to feel again.


~*~


With the basestar in tow, Adama led them back to the Colonial fleet. Laura sat beside him in the raptor, clasping his hand as the fleet appeared in front of them.

“We’re home,” she whispered. She turned tear-filled eyes to him, smiling. “We’re home.”

“Home is wherever you are,” he answered softly, brushing his lips against hers.

He rested his head against hers for a moment, her fingers brushing the side of his face. A warmth she hadn’t felt for far too long enveloped her.


~*~


Satisfied that Bill was sleeping soundly, she carefully untangled herself from him and eased out of their bed. Pulling on her fluffy robe to fend off the chill, she made her way into the more public area of their quarters. She paced the length of their room, her mind racing.

She had to do something. She needed to have a plan. Elosha told her to love someone. Laura had since this began. She loved her people and she loved Bill; she had harbored feelings for him for far longer than he knew.

Now that she understood her purpose, her place in the universe, hard decisions had to be made. As she recalled the words of Pythia, she scowled, her hands fisting. What a joke it all was. And in the end, it was on her.


~*~


“Bill, listen to me.” She pulled him into her arms, hugging him tightly. “I love humanity. I love you. You have to blow up this ship.”

“No.”

“Yes, you have to.”

“Why?”

She heard the despair in his voice and she hated herself more in that moment than ever before.

“Because,” she whispered, “Because I’m a cylon.”

“What?” He pushed her away, staring at her hard. “This isn’t funny, Laura.”

“No, it’s not. And it’s not just a joke. You have to blow up this ship. Now.”

“I can’t,” he choked out.

“You have to, Bill.” She touched his face, smiling through her tears. “While the five of us are here, you have a chance to ensure humanity reaches Earth, unencumbered by the mistakes of the past. Without the five, the cylons cannot find you again.”

“How do you know? A week ago, you were the dying leader. Now you’re a cylon?”

“They are metaphors, the scriptures, I mean.” She closed her eyes briefly, composing herself. “I am the dying leader. But I am also a cylon. My cancer isn’t really cancer. It is a biological weapon engineered to look like cancer.

“Kara Thrace and I are, and always have been, the keys to the puzzle. I was not meant to realize my role until it was too late, nor was she. We both mean death for humanity. But somehow, Deanna inadvertently activated my programming.”

Bill shook his head. She could see him trying to deny her words to himself.

“Don’t. We don’t have a lot of time and I need you to trust me. We weren’t supposed to see, not until I had—completed my task. And with the hub destroyed, none of us can download. We are all finally on equal footing, and the other cylons despise those of us responsible for it.”

“Why? What is the point of it all?”

“I can’t answer that. Maybe it’s about belief, faith or redemption. Or maybe I’m full of crap and some disillusioned human with an axe to grind “improved” upon cylon technology. Perhaps it was a pissed off lab rat who set these events into motion and willfully tried to wipe out humanity. All I know is this: you have to get off of this ship and blow it to hell. Then you have to destroy any cylons you might possibly cross paths with in the future.

“What if there is no hell?” he teased, though his heart wasn’t in it. He had a sneaking suspicion the answer was the latter but it wasn’t some pissed off scientist. It was an order. Straight from the Admiralty.

“I guess we’ll have to see, won’t we?”

They smiled at each other, and he held her tight. He felt her shaking in his arms and closed his eyes. They kissed sweetly and he released her. With a nod, he boarded the raptor. She clasped her hands in front of her, determined to watch until his ship was ready to launch.

But the hatch didn’t close. And Bill jumped down from the wing. He quickly returned to her side, clasping her hand.

“Hera and Athena are the shape of things to come,” he whispered in her ear.

“Yes.”

“They are safe within the fleet.”

“They are.”

“Good.” He buried his face in her warm flesh, his forehead resting against her collarbone. “I love you, Laura.”

“I love you too,” she said tearfully, her hands clutching the fabric covering his back, “But you have to go.”

“I can’t,” he said huskily, “I won’t.”

“You have to lead the fleet.”

“Obviously you haven’t heard the rumor. I can’t live without you.”

“You have to.”

The ship rocked violently and the sound of an explosion echoed throughout the deck. He embraced her, whispering his dreams in her ear about their cabin by the lake. They clung to each other, eyes wide open, as the basestar was obliterated.


~*~


Laura’s eyes opened and she found herself standing on a structure that overlooked a placid lake. She blinked in confusion and glanced over her shoulder, startled to find Bill standing behind her. He smiled warmly and wrapped his arms around her, pressing a kiss to the side of her neck.

A contented smile stole across her lips and her hands rested on his forearms. Leaning against him, they watched the sunrise.


~*End*~