Pyramid and Principals (4/6)
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 taking my meh chapter and making it much better.
Laura watched the students rush out of their classes and towards freedom. School finished an hour earlier on Wednesdays to allow the kids a small break mid-week. A strange sense of excitement flowed through her at the realisation this would mean an extra hour to be spent at Bill’s house.
She felt overwhelmed by the man she had completely misjudged for so long. She had learnt a lot about him over the past two days. They’d tacitly began eating together during school lunch breaks. Bill had kept her entertained with tales of his life in the military. She also found herself giggling regularly as he shared anecdotes of his early days of fatherhood.
During those short meals together he told her stories of his days in the military and she talked about her early days of teaching. Even though he had her laughing with tales of his early days of fatherhood and some very amusing mishaps she steered clear of discussing family.
Bill was hired about three months after the...accident. Of course, she was sure someone would have filled him in on the details of the whole tragedy.
She wasn’t sure how to describe their relationship now. She just knew it was more than Principal and teacher. They had become friends. Whether they would stay just friends or move on to something more romantic, she didn’t know.
The subject of her musings was leaning against her car when she exited the main school building. She couldn’t help the grin that lit up her face when she spotted him.
“Hey,” he rumbled when she was close enough to him. “I thought we could share the journey, if you want.”
“That sounds good. I can drop you back here to collect your car when I drop off the books later.”
He smiled and moved around to climb into the passenger seat while Laura started the car and moved off.
“Was Ms. Foster pleased with our surprise?”
“She was overjoyed but very perturbed when I wouldn’t tell her of who the ‘mystery benefactor’ was.”
“You didn’t tell her it was me?”
“No. You’ve worked so hard to keep it a secret this long, I figured you didn’t want anyone to know.”
“Thank you, Laura.”
He gifted her with another one of those small smiles that somehow seemed to transform his whole face. She was shocked that she now thought he was absolutely beautiful in moments like this, and she was savouring each and every one.
She parked her car and together they walked into the house, still chatting cheerfully.
The sound of a very heated argument reached their ears as soon as the large front door was heaved open. She felt Bill stiffen beside her.
“Lee,” he whispered harshly.
He moved quickly through the house and Laura followed closely, afraid she would get lost again if she didn’t stay near. The sound of the angry yelling got louder and louder until finally they were standing in a large bedroom, most definitely decorated by a young man.
“I don’t get what you’re so angry about.”
Zak was not the smiling fresh faced boy of her last visit. Now she was faced with the heartbreaking sight of a boy downtrodden as his brother continued to reign abuse at him.
“She’s my friend, you had no right asking her out! Gods, what the hell were you thinking Zak?!”
At first glance, Lee didn’t resemble his father. When he turned, however, she saw the unmistakable similarity of their eyes. The young man’s expression was nothing she had ever seen on Bill, or ever wanted to.
Zak remained calm, reminding her of the way Bill had behaved when he and Tory had been arguing in her office only a few days ago. Bill’s youngest kept his hands clasped in front of him and his head lowered as Lee stood ranting across from him.
“I like her Lee,” Zak said quietly. “And I guess she likes me or she wouldn’t have said yes.”
His answer was simple and sweet; so very like the Bill she was getting to know.
Bill moved further into the room making his presence known to his sons.
“What’s going on here?”
“Nothing, Dad, forget about it,” Zak answered quickly.
“Yeah, forget about it,” Lee spat before brushing passed Laura and escaping the room.
Zak collapsed into a seat on the bed. Bill shot Laura an apologetic look. She waved her hand to dismiss his silent apology and smiled sweetly at him.
“You two talk. I’ll be in the kitchen...if I can find it.”
She didn’t find it. Instead the maze of hallways led her back to the front of the house and she stepped into the gardens; deciding exploring the grounds would be a better use of her time than aimlessly wandering around inside anyway.
Lost in her thoughts as she meandered amongst the lush flower beds, she was surprised to stumble upon Lee Adama.
He lay on the grass with his eyes closed and arm thrown over his brow. His mouth was set in a thin line and his other hand was balled into a fist where it lay on his stomach. He looked distraught.
Throwing caution to the wind she sat down beside him, drawing her knees up to her chest and staring at the beauty around her.
“You know I had to separate two girls from fighting today. They were so violent, I swear I saw chunks of hair flying. Want to know what they were fighting about?”
Lee’s only answer was a small noncommittal grunt.
“A boy. Apparently Gillian asked out the boy Sarah had a crush on.”
“She shouldn’t have done that. Friends don’t do that to each other,” he responded, still not opening his eyes.
“Ah but you see, Sarah never told Gillian about her crush. How was Gillian to know this boy was off limits?”
His eyes opened slowly, blinking against the harsh light of the sun before they focused on her.
“What did they do?” he whispered.
“I don’t know. That’s for them to work out. It’d be a shame to waste such a good friendship over a silly thing like a date. There’re plenty of girls to date but there aren’t plenty of bro...friends.”
She realised her slip up and tried to fix it in time. Luckily Lee didn’t seem to notice.
She heard a noise behind them and turned to see Bill approaching them.
Lee lifted himself easily from his position on the soft ground and offered his hand to help Laura to her feet.
“Thank you, Lee.”
“I’m sorry I don’t know your name, Ms...”
Bill reached their side and made the introductions. “Lee, this is Ms. Roslin. The principal at East Delphi.”
“Of course, Dad’s told us all about you. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Roslin. Zak and I will get started on dinner.” He walked back towards the house, leaving a stunned Laura alone with Bill.
“Told them all about me?”
“Yeah they know all about my pain in the ass boss.”
He winced as she playfully nudged him in the side.
“Can’t be worse than my pain in the ass pyramid coach,” she retaliated.
“Laura, you wound an old man.”
He clutched his chest in a dramatically and she found herself giggling at his theatrics. Her hand moved to push him away but he caught it between his larger hands. With the gentlest of tugs he pulled her toward him and she went willingly.
He wasn’t that much taller than her and with her face tilted up to look at his she felt his breath mingling with her own. She could smell his sweet scent and it was heavenly to her senses.
His eyes darted between her own green orbs and her rosy lips, a question hidden in those deep blue depths.
“Yes,” she whispered as they both leaned forward.
“Dad! Where do we keep the big dish? Dad!”
Laura jumped away at the sound of Zak’s voice and she heard Bill mutter a curse under his breath.
“I better check up on them before they turn my kitchen inside out,” he murmured. She nodded mutely in response.
He offered her his arm and she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow as they walked back to the house.
“I didn’t hear about any fight today.”
“Hmmm?”
“What you told Lee. Who are Sarah and Gillian?”
“I made them up,” she whispered, looking over to see him grinning at her. She brought her finger to her lips in a shushing motion and he chuckled at her audacity.
“You’re a handful, Laura Roslin.”
“You have no idea, Bill Adama.”
***
Dinner was a calm but enjoyable affair. The boys had been kind enough to cook a stew rather than their fathers preference of noodles. She found the two boys, when they weren’t arguing with each other, to be quite polite and charming.
They even volunteered to clear the dishes, despite the fact that they cooked the meal. Laura soon found herself alone with Bill again, this time in one of the smaller rooms between the dining room and the front door.
There was a sofa, and despite its slightly unappealing upholstery, Laura fell in love with it as soon as its material moulded around her body.
She closed her eyes and let out a loud sigh of pleasure.
“Comfortable?” Bill chuckled and sat down next to her.
“I never want to leave this couch.”
“Hmm...I don’t know how I feel about you moving in on our second date.”
Her eyes flew open and found his staring widely back at her. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he ran a hand roughly down his rough skin.
“Frak..I didn’t mean...I mean I did...I just...frak!” he stammered.
Laura felt her heart beating roughly against her chest. This was a date, she thought. And then it hit her. Of course it was. He had invited her to his home. She was the only person who had seen where he lived. He had introduced her to his sons. He almost kissed her in the garden.
She didn’t know how he did it but he had managed to take her on two dates, introduce her to his family, and almost seduce her without her even knowing she had been asked out. She giggled at the absurdity of it all.
“My blabbering funny to you?”
She shook her head no and scooted closer to him on the couch.
“Laura...”
He trailed off as her lips hovered over his waiting for him to close the distance. He did, at a frustratingly slow pace. She was almost driven mad by the little puffs of air that fluttered across her mouth, but finally their lips met and all she felt was bliss.
His mouth covered hers and gently applied pressure, only deepening the kiss when her hand reached to cradle the back of his head and tug him closer. She hummed as one hand tangled in her hair and the other began to softly stroke her cheek.
It was agonising. It was beautiful. It was perfect. And she wanted more.
Their lips separated with a soft smack. Laura thought Bill looked slightly tussled, yet very attractive, after being thoroughly kissed.
“I’ve wanted to do that for the longest time,” he admitted, moving to place kisses along her jaw line and neck.
“You have?” she asked uncertainly.
“Surely you noticed how I looked at you?”
She shook her head ever so slightly, not wanting to distract his lips from their pleasurable assault on her skin. He moved his head anyway, tilting back to look her in the eyes.
“You’ve really never thought about this?”
“Not before coming to your house. But I’m thinking about it now. Want to do more than just thinking, Bill.”
She moved forward to kiss him again but he pulled back, dropping his eyes to stare at the floor.
“Not before coming to your house,” he repeated her words.
It dawned on her, how he had misinterpreted what she had meant. Placing her index finger under his chin, she tilted it upwards until he was looking at her again.
“You’re different here. More yourself. When you brought me here you showed me a new William Adama. And I quite like that William Adama.”
“You’re still the same Laura Roslin but that’s okay, I still quite like her,” he answered with a smile and she could help place another sweet kiss on that adorable smile.
“I do get this feeling though, Bill. You’re not entirely comfortable here, are you?”
He shook his head and dropped one hand to her waist to bring her flush against his side.
“This was my fathers house. He worked his way up from the ground to become of the city’s top lawyers. He bought this house from some aristocrat with gambling debts bigger than his ego. My father thought it could pass from generation to generation of Adama men.”
His eyes glossed over as what seemed to be unhappy memories danced inside his mind. Laura stroked his cheek with her hand, her breath catching in her throat when he leaned into her touch.
“What happened?” she asked softly.
“He wanted an educated son. Someone to follow in the family business. Not a failed military pilot turned school teacher. We stopped talking.”
He took a deep breath before continuing, all the while Laura kept her thumb moving in what she hoped was a consoling caress to his cheek.
“About two years ago he tried to make contact. Letters, phone calls, you name it, he tried it. I ignored him, thought I’d leave him stew in his own misery before I ever talked to him again. I was contemplating contacting him. Age softens everyone, it seems. Then, before I had the chance, his lawyer called me; told me he had passed away. “
His eyes opened and it pained her to see those beautiful blues swimming in tears.
“He left me everything. The house, what little money he had, those books. He had spent years collecting those books and suddenly I was the owner of it all. I figured I owed it to him to live here, make his wish come true.”
Laura could understand what kind of heartbreak Bill had gone through. She also knew it never really got any easier.
“Are you happy? There just seems to be a lot of empty rooms here?”
“I have a beautiful woman in my arms right now, how could I not be happy?”
She sighed. He had purposefully avoided the question and she didn’t want that. She wanted to know all of him.
“There’s a small cottage, down by the lake at the back of the house. Well, it’s small compared to here, but it’s really beautiful. A lick of paint here and there and some running water added, and it would be ideal.”
“Will you show it to me?” she breathed.
He answered her with a kiss.
Chapter Five
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 taking my meh chapter and making it much better.
Laura watched the students rush out of their classes and towards freedom. School finished an hour earlier on Wednesdays to allow the kids a small break mid-week. A strange sense of excitement flowed through her at the realisation this would mean an extra hour to be spent at Bill’s house.
She felt overwhelmed by the man she had completely misjudged for so long. She had learnt a lot about him over the past two days. They’d tacitly began eating together during school lunch breaks. Bill had kept her entertained with tales of his life in the military. She also found herself giggling regularly as he shared anecdotes of his early days of fatherhood.
During those short meals together he told her stories of his days in the military and she talked about her early days of teaching. Even though he had her laughing with tales of his early days of fatherhood and some very amusing mishaps she steered clear of discussing family.
Bill was hired about three months after the...accident. Of course, she was sure someone would have filled him in on the details of the whole tragedy.
She wasn’t sure how to describe their relationship now. She just knew it was more than Principal and teacher. They had become friends. Whether they would stay just friends or move on to something more romantic, she didn’t know.
The subject of her musings was leaning against her car when she exited the main school building. She couldn’t help the grin that lit up her face when she spotted him.
“Hey,” he rumbled when she was close enough to him. “I thought we could share the journey, if you want.”
“That sounds good. I can drop you back here to collect your car when I drop off the books later.”
He smiled and moved around to climb into the passenger seat while Laura started the car and moved off.
“Was Ms. Foster pleased with our surprise?”
“She was overjoyed but very perturbed when I wouldn’t tell her of who the ‘mystery benefactor’ was.”
“You didn’t tell her it was me?”
“No. You’ve worked so hard to keep it a secret this long, I figured you didn’t want anyone to know.”
“Thank you, Laura.”
He gifted her with another one of those small smiles that somehow seemed to transform his whole face. She was shocked that she now thought he was absolutely beautiful in moments like this, and she was savouring each and every one.
She parked her car and together they walked into the house, still chatting cheerfully.
The sound of a very heated argument reached their ears as soon as the large front door was heaved open. She felt Bill stiffen beside her.
“Lee,” he whispered harshly.
He moved quickly through the house and Laura followed closely, afraid she would get lost again if she didn’t stay near. The sound of the angry yelling got louder and louder until finally they were standing in a large bedroom, most definitely decorated by a young man.
“I don’t get what you’re so angry about.”
Zak was not the smiling fresh faced boy of her last visit. Now she was faced with the heartbreaking sight of a boy downtrodden as his brother continued to reign abuse at him.
“She’s my friend, you had no right asking her out! Gods, what the hell were you thinking Zak?!”
At first glance, Lee didn’t resemble his father. When he turned, however, she saw the unmistakable similarity of their eyes. The young man’s expression was nothing she had ever seen on Bill, or ever wanted to.
Zak remained calm, reminding her of the way Bill had behaved when he and Tory had been arguing in her office only a few days ago. Bill’s youngest kept his hands clasped in front of him and his head lowered as Lee stood ranting across from him.
“I like her Lee,” Zak said quietly. “And I guess she likes me or she wouldn’t have said yes.”
His answer was simple and sweet; so very like the Bill she was getting to know.
Bill moved further into the room making his presence known to his sons.
“What’s going on here?”
“Nothing, Dad, forget about it,” Zak answered quickly.
“Yeah, forget about it,” Lee spat before brushing passed Laura and escaping the room.
Zak collapsed into a seat on the bed. Bill shot Laura an apologetic look. She waved her hand to dismiss his silent apology and smiled sweetly at him.
“You two talk. I’ll be in the kitchen...if I can find it.”
She didn’t find it. Instead the maze of hallways led her back to the front of the house and she stepped into the gardens; deciding exploring the grounds would be a better use of her time than aimlessly wandering around inside anyway.
Lost in her thoughts as she meandered amongst the lush flower beds, she was surprised to stumble upon Lee Adama.
He lay on the grass with his eyes closed and arm thrown over his brow. His mouth was set in a thin line and his other hand was balled into a fist where it lay on his stomach. He looked distraught.
Throwing caution to the wind she sat down beside him, drawing her knees up to her chest and staring at the beauty around her.
“You know I had to separate two girls from fighting today. They were so violent, I swear I saw chunks of hair flying. Want to know what they were fighting about?”
Lee’s only answer was a small noncommittal grunt.
“A boy. Apparently Gillian asked out the boy Sarah had a crush on.”
“She shouldn’t have done that. Friends don’t do that to each other,” he responded, still not opening his eyes.
“Ah but you see, Sarah never told Gillian about her crush. How was Gillian to know this boy was off limits?”
His eyes opened slowly, blinking against the harsh light of the sun before they focused on her.
“What did they do?” he whispered.
“I don’t know. That’s for them to work out. It’d be a shame to waste such a good friendship over a silly thing like a date. There’re plenty of girls to date but there aren’t plenty of bro...friends.”
She realised her slip up and tried to fix it in time. Luckily Lee didn’t seem to notice.
She heard a noise behind them and turned to see Bill approaching them.
Lee lifted himself easily from his position on the soft ground and offered his hand to help Laura to her feet.
“Thank you, Lee.”
“I’m sorry I don’t know your name, Ms...”
Bill reached their side and made the introductions. “Lee, this is Ms. Roslin. The principal at East Delphi.”
“Of course, Dad’s told us all about you. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Roslin. Zak and I will get started on dinner.” He walked back towards the house, leaving a stunned Laura alone with Bill.
“Told them all about me?”
“Yeah they know all about my pain in the ass boss.”
He winced as she playfully nudged him in the side.
“Can’t be worse than my pain in the ass pyramid coach,” she retaliated.
“Laura, you wound an old man.”
He clutched his chest in a dramatically and she found herself giggling at his theatrics. Her hand moved to push him away but he caught it between his larger hands. With the gentlest of tugs he pulled her toward him and she went willingly.
He wasn’t that much taller than her and with her face tilted up to look at his she felt his breath mingling with her own. She could smell his sweet scent and it was heavenly to her senses.
His eyes darted between her own green orbs and her rosy lips, a question hidden in those deep blue depths.
“Yes,” she whispered as they both leaned forward.
“Dad! Where do we keep the big dish? Dad!”
Laura jumped away at the sound of Zak’s voice and she heard Bill mutter a curse under his breath.
“I better check up on them before they turn my kitchen inside out,” he murmured. She nodded mutely in response.
He offered her his arm and she slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow as they walked back to the house.
“I didn’t hear about any fight today.”
“Hmmm?”
“What you told Lee. Who are Sarah and Gillian?”
“I made them up,” she whispered, looking over to see him grinning at her. She brought her finger to her lips in a shushing motion and he chuckled at her audacity.
“You’re a handful, Laura Roslin.”
“You have no idea, Bill Adama.”
***
Dinner was a calm but enjoyable affair. The boys had been kind enough to cook a stew rather than their fathers preference of noodles. She found the two boys, when they weren’t arguing with each other, to be quite polite and charming.
They even volunteered to clear the dishes, despite the fact that they cooked the meal. Laura soon found herself alone with Bill again, this time in one of the smaller rooms between the dining room and the front door.
There was a sofa, and despite its slightly unappealing upholstery, Laura fell in love with it as soon as its material moulded around her body.
She closed her eyes and let out a loud sigh of pleasure.
“Comfortable?” Bill chuckled and sat down next to her.
“I never want to leave this couch.”
“Hmm...I don’t know how I feel about you moving in on our second date.”
Her eyes flew open and found his staring widely back at her. His mouth opened and closed a few times before he ran a hand roughly down his rough skin.
“Frak..I didn’t mean...I mean I did...I just...frak!” he stammered.
Laura felt her heart beating roughly against her chest. This was a date, she thought. And then it hit her. Of course it was. He had invited her to his home. She was the only person who had seen where he lived. He had introduced her to his sons. He almost kissed her in the garden.
She didn’t know how he did it but he had managed to take her on two dates, introduce her to his family, and almost seduce her without her even knowing she had been asked out. She giggled at the absurdity of it all.
“My blabbering funny to you?”
She shook her head no and scooted closer to him on the couch.
“Laura...”
He trailed off as her lips hovered over his waiting for him to close the distance. He did, at a frustratingly slow pace. She was almost driven mad by the little puffs of air that fluttered across her mouth, but finally their lips met and all she felt was bliss.
His mouth covered hers and gently applied pressure, only deepening the kiss when her hand reached to cradle the back of his head and tug him closer. She hummed as one hand tangled in her hair and the other began to softly stroke her cheek.
It was agonising. It was beautiful. It was perfect. And she wanted more.
Their lips separated with a soft smack. Laura thought Bill looked slightly tussled, yet very attractive, after being thoroughly kissed.
“I’ve wanted to do that for the longest time,” he admitted, moving to place kisses along her jaw line and neck.
“You have?” she asked uncertainly.
“Surely you noticed how I looked at you?”
She shook her head ever so slightly, not wanting to distract his lips from their pleasurable assault on her skin. He moved his head anyway, tilting back to look her in the eyes.
“You’ve really never thought about this?”
“Not before coming to your house. But I’m thinking about it now. Want to do more than just thinking, Bill.”
She moved forward to kiss him again but he pulled back, dropping his eyes to stare at the floor.
“Not before coming to your house,” he repeated her words.
It dawned on her, how he had misinterpreted what she had meant. Placing her index finger under his chin, she tilted it upwards until he was looking at her again.
“You’re different here. More yourself. When you brought me here you showed me a new William Adama. And I quite like that William Adama.”
“You’re still the same Laura Roslin but that’s okay, I still quite like her,” he answered with a smile and she could help place another sweet kiss on that adorable smile.
“I do get this feeling though, Bill. You’re not entirely comfortable here, are you?”
He shook his head and dropped one hand to her waist to bring her flush against his side.
“This was my fathers house. He worked his way up from the ground to become of the city’s top lawyers. He bought this house from some aristocrat with gambling debts bigger than his ego. My father thought it could pass from generation to generation of Adama men.”
His eyes glossed over as what seemed to be unhappy memories danced inside his mind. Laura stroked his cheek with her hand, her breath catching in her throat when he leaned into her touch.
“What happened?” she asked softly.
“He wanted an educated son. Someone to follow in the family business. Not a failed military pilot turned school teacher. We stopped talking.”
He took a deep breath before continuing, all the while Laura kept her thumb moving in what she hoped was a consoling caress to his cheek.
“About two years ago he tried to make contact. Letters, phone calls, you name it, he tried it. I ignored him, thought I’d leave him stew in his own misery before I ever talked to him again. I was contemplating contacting him. Age softens everyone, it seems. Then, before I had the chance, his lawyer called me; told me he had passed away. “
His eyes opened and it pained her to see those beautiful blues swimming in tears.
“He left me everything. The house, what little money he had, those books. He had spent years collecting those books and suddenly I was the owner of it all. I figured I owed it to him to live here, make his wish come true.”
Laura could understand what kind of heartbreak Bill had gone through. She also knew it never really got any easier.
“Are you happy? There just seems to be a lot of empty rooms here?”
“I have a beautiful woman in my arms right now, how could I not be happy?”
She sighed. He had purposefully avoided the question and she didn’t want that. She wanted to know all of him.
“There’s a small cottage, down by the lake at the back of the house. Well, it’s small compared to here, but it’s really beautiful. A lick of paint here and there and some running water added, and it would be ideal.”
“Will you show it to me?” she breathed.
He answered her with a kiss.
Chapter Five