Title: Codename “Venus”

Author: BellamortsDaughterNesha

Summary: Bill meets the human form of the Goddess Venus and realizes that his heart is on the road to being broken.

Rating: K+

Disclaimer: Any recognizable character, event, setting, or plot belongs to its creators. I only owe Venus (in this story) but if I could owe Roslin and Adama I would in a heartbeat….grrrr!

Warning: AU, no particular season, ok maybe season 3 or 4 because of Lee, or episode spoiler than I can think of. If there is please tell me! BBfic

Authors Note: Venus is the Roman Goddess of love, beauty, and fertility. She is also known by other names such as Aphrodite (Greek), Innana (Sumerian), Astarte (Phoenician), Turan (Truscan), and Aurora or Ushas (Indo-European). No beta reader other than my computer software. Dedicated to all the mothers in their special day (and the fathers as well).

~*~

Blue eyes stared at delicate lids that covered expressive green eyes. They were green, not blue as many Caprican’s hand them. Those lids had wonderfully long dark eyelashes, naturally curled and rising from rosy cheeks. The lids extended to a beautifully delineated nose, a little different than he had seen before but so familiar he could only smile. The nose ended to give start to rosebud lips, slightly parted and pushed outward.

She was perfect in his eyes.

Her skin was contrasting with his dark tone skin, far more delicate than his calloused fingers, making him almost afraid to touch it. From head to toes he was amazed and his amazement was reflected not only in his face but also in his actions.

He had done this twice before, and he didn’t’ want to sound unfair to his sons, but holding his daughter was the most perfect feeling in the universe. He had always wanted a daughter and although Coralanne had given him two sons, it was Laura that had borne his daughter. Laura, his soulmate, his equal,, had just given birth three hours ago. He had been at the CIC fighting the latest Cylon attack when he had gotten the news on the comm.; he was a father to a bouncing little girl. He hadn’t been able to get away from the CIC until two hours later and the only thing he had been able to do was rush to the sickbay.

That was the second surprise, the first having been the announcement of her birth in the middle of a war, Laura was not in sickbay. He was then told that the President had given birth in his very cabin. Laura had refused to stop working because she was pregnant and after much cajoling on his and Cottle’s part, Laura had agreed to at least work from his cabin, holding all meetings in their office. He would later learn that she had been in a meeting with Lee who was serving as a representative of the Quorum. The argument had escalated and finally reached its climax with the rupture of her water. Being who she was, Laura refused to leave to the Sickbay and had promptly given birth in their sanctuary.

He had rushed in only to be stopped by Cottle who advised him to keep quiet for Laura was sleeping. He did as told walking first to her side; he needed to know she was fine. She must have been waiting for him because as soon as he was by her side her eyes had slowly opened. “Bill.” She let out in a soft exhalation. A smile graced her thin lips as her eyes slipped closed again. “She’s waiting for you in her cot.” He waited to see if she would say something else but her body slowly relaxed and completely succumbed to sleep.

The soft cooing sounds had quickly taken his attention from the sleeping woman. Slow steps brought him closer as his anticipation increased. He peeked into the very simple cot and his heart exploded in his chest. His daughter was cooing just for him as she fought the sleep that wanted to claim her although she didn’t have enough energy to actually stay awake. He apprehensively reached din, surprised at the tuff of hair she already sported; cherry like her mother’s. His arms had quickly brought her closer to his uniformed covered chest. The new texture had made her squirm a little but she eventually settled. It had only taken a couple of rocks before she was completely asleep and he was able to observe her.

He had been doing exactly that for the past hour.

From her face he had moved to her tiny delicate body. It was so small, or at least it looked like it was small compared to his hands. She fit perfectly in them and he knew at that moment that every time she grew, every time she made him proud, she would also break his heart.

His eyes centered on a perfectly created hand. It was relaxed against the tiny body, unmoving in the sleep that seemed to charm his daughter. A trembling hand got nearer and soon his trembling finger started to caress the tiny hand eliciting soft movements from it. He smiled, or maybe it was a grin by now, but the happiness contained in his body still wanted to burst out. His finger gained confidence as it caressed miniscule knuckles and fingernails.

The little hand suddenly moved away, curling under a tiny cheek. His daughter wiggled a little against him as he once more touched the little hand, coaxed it to open so that he could trace the palm. It opened, but it soon closed around his finger, tightly. “Strong.” He couldn’t help but voice out; he was proud his daughter would be able to take care of herself. He spent a couple of seconds with his finger trapped in her little hand until the tightness started to ebb away and his daughter fell back into a deep sleep. The hand around his finger laxed and he was able to move it away.

A tiny leg stretched and his attention was caught by it. His eyes moved over the slightly chubby legs and rested on a stretched foot whose tiny toes were stretched out as well. They looked so tender, they looked like they would never be able to support her tiny body when she started walking, however, if he was to follow the strength of her hand he knew that she would be as strong on her feet. He allowed himself to trace the underfoot and earned the curling of said foot, toes and all. He couldn’t help but chuckle as it happened.

His chuckles must have vibrated from his chest towards her tiny body because she protested at the movement. Her tiny face scrunched up as her fist was once more bunched up under her neck. She let out a tiny cry and Bill quickly turned to look at Laura, hoping that she hadn’t wakened. A couple of seconds of silence, or as silent as it possibly could be with a newborn baby making mewling noises, and Laura hadn’t waken so he knew that he was in the clear. She was tired, she needed to rest. He turned back his attention to the baby in his arms and cuddled her close, hoping to calm her.

The hand that he was using to calm her gently caressed her tiny naked back. It soothed her, just like it did with Laura. He knew right there and then that their daughter would take after their mother, it was obvious even now for she favored Laura’s image more than his. He didn’t mind, in fact he loved having two gorgeous ladies to take care off.

The soothing movements not only soothed her to stop her soft sounds of protest, but it also soothed him. Before he knew it he turned to look at her tiny face and found those exact eyes staring up at him, blinking rapidly as they adjusted to the light, small as it was in Galactica. They were green, like Laura’s, but they had a little of the blue that was his. Anything she ever asked, as long as she looked at him and gave him the exact same face he was receiving now, would be delivered.

“Hello little one.” He said, not knowing how else to do it. With Zak and Lee, even though he wanted, he had missed their birth by weeks and by the time he got to Caprica they were already adjusted to their new environment.

His daughter simply stared up at him, her eyes still blinking although much slower, and her little mouth opening and closing in a slow rhythm.

“I… I am your papa.” He continued not knowing whether or not it was alright to talk to her or whether he should rock her back to sleep. “I… you are perfect.”

The baby kicked a leg as if agreeing with him. Maybe it was more as a greeting to her father.

He looked around the cabin; it was cozy and loving, and warmer than the rest of Galactica and it still wasn’t a suitable place to have a newborn baby, much less his daughter. He didn’t want her to grow in this place; he didn’t want her to be forced to not know what it was to feel earth under her feet, wind in her hair, and droplets of rain on her cheeks as she looked upward, or if they were lucky enough, snow that would cling to her long hair and eyelashes. He wanted to give her so much more than he had at the moment.

“I know it’s not much baby girl.” He told her, still looking around before settling on her eyes. Blue meeting Green. “But if you ever feel fear you need to know that this is the one place you will always find protection, your mama and I will make sure of it.”

The baby stopped blinking for a couple of seconds, looking straight into his eyes, straight into his soul. A tiny hand wrapped once more around his finger, around his heart. “You need a name.” He continued as he gently traced her nose and cheek.

They hadn’t argued over names; in fact they had easily chosen it. But now, in his arms, she seemed like so much more. Evelyn, the name of his mother, was just not enough for her. She was so much more. She was so beautiful, even more beautiful than any other child he had ever seen; he suspected it had to do with Laura’s beauty. Whenever her tiny hands touched his skin he felt that life was put into it in the sense of tingling that went straight to his heart and ignited it with love for his daughter. She had life in her hands. She was born from leaders, she would have power, and she would show it in an equality that would shudder any war she took part of.

Venus.

She was the human form of the Goddess Venus and it was only fitting that she shared the name. He knew that Laura would like it; she believed in Gods and in her religion, he believed in her and their daughter.

Evelyn “Venus” Adama.

“Evelyn “Venus” Adama.” He voiced, strong and confident that it would be his daughter’s name. The baby kicked once more and waved a tiny arm around in short quick movements.

“Venus, the Goddess of love, beauty, and fertility.” Laura’s voice came from the side. He quickly turned to look at her, having believed that she was sleeping. She was far from sleeping, in fact she was laying on her side, gazing at them with love in her eyes, her long hair cascading on her back. “Also, in some places, thought has the Goddess of warfare, vitality, and dawn.”

He turned to look down at his daughter once more; smiling as he gently rocked her, his arms falling once more in the soft movement that they knew very well but which they had not taken part of in years. “It seems only fitting for her codename.”

“She already has you wrapped around her finger.” Laura continued in a silky voice. “Obviously a Roslin.”

He puffed his chest out as if to tell her he wasn’t already waiting at the beck and call of their daughter, even though he knew that it was a lie. Laura parted the sheets away from her body and patted the space between her and the hovering sheets. “Come to bed Bill.” She told him softly.

Bill complied even before his brain had time to register his movements, if that was even possible. He was soon by the rack gently passing Evelyn to her mother who received her with tender arms and bought her close to her body. He looked at them and frowned. “I don’t want to hurt you two by trying to move to the other side.”

Laura smiled at him, shook her head, and slowly got up. She twisted her body so that she was looking the other way, towards Galactica’s wall. Slowly she placed Evelyn on the rack, covering her a little with the sheet before she settled against her tiny back. One of her delicate hands went to cover her baby’s belly while the other served as her pillow. She turned slightly to look at Bill who was taking off his uniform. He too was soon on the rack, under the pillows, one of his hands supporting his head, the other spreading against her tender postpartum belly. Her smile turns into soft sigh as she felt his thumb caressing the skin over her nightgown.

A soft cueing brought their attention towards their daughter once more, requesting their complete and full bearings. “Don’t you think she’s too small to have a codename?” Laura asked him as she gently caressed her daughter’s belly.

“She’s an Adama… we show our qualities early on.” He told her, the vibrations of his chest going to her back.

“Uhmm… yes I seem to recall that.” She teased him lightly before shaking her head with amusement. “Venus.”

“Venus.” He repeated, cementing the codename into their memory. “I will have the Chief find or do some tags for her.”

“She’s not going to be a flygirl… a nugget… or whatever you call them.” She quickly told him, her voice still silky but very strong.

“No she won’t.” He agreed. He was never letting her get near imminent danger by flying a viper or a raptor. “Will she be a politician?”

“No.” She said once more. “She will be whatever she wants to be as long as it’s not following us, he has to make up her own future.”

Their daughter, their little Evelyn, the mighty “Venus”, yawned and stretched a little. Laura quickly slipped into humming a lullaby which had their daughter quickly closing her eyes and going deep into sleep.

Her future for now was sleeping, eating, being loved, and giving unconditional love in return.

Just what the President and the Admiral needed.