Ever since he arrived, Laura Roslin was waiting for him to lash out at her. She didn't think he would do her physical harm but she wasn't absolutely sure. When she saw him embrace his son and tenderly approach LT Thrace that she realized it must have seemed to him she turned his two children against him. No matter Apollo chose what to do on his own. No matter she asked Thrace to do the mission because she was the only one who could. To him she must have been targeting him and his family.

When he told her it was good to see her, she thought he meant the hunter had found his prey. Despite her reservations, she had to admit it was good to see him too: alive and capable of handling a weapon. If Tigh remained in charge of the military she had no hope for their future. That, she told herself, was why she had such a strong urge to hug him which she just barely kept under control.

She fully expected him to take her back into custody. She feared more blood would be shed over it. On the other hand, she would not go quietly when there was so much at stake and they were so close to the prize. When he returned her book of scripture to her and told her they better go find the tomb, relief and joy washed over her.

To avoid crying tears of happiness, she gazed around at the makeshift tents around them. Everyone, she noted, seemed strangely happy given the extreme danger they were in and the rough conditions they were enduring. Perhaps it was the company. Almost all of them were paired off. Roughing it with someone you cared about made it bearable. The danger seemed to clarify their feelings. They were free to act on them because it was likely they would all die soon.

No longer able to control her need to hold him, she crawled toward him, kissed him on the cheek and curled into his side. "Thank you," she murmured as she crossed her arm over his chest and nestled her head on his shoulder.

Adama was completely taken aback but he didn't show it. After several seconds of staring blankly ahead, he came to his senses, wrapped his arms around her and said, "That alone was worth the hunt."

Roslin's feminine, almost girlish, giggle caught the ear of the younger Adama and drew his attention away from Starbuck for a moment. Stunned, he wondered if she'd been drugged as he watched her snuggle against his old man. Starbuck followed his line of sight and grinned as her commander pulled a blanket over himself and his arch enemy, the President of the Colonies.

"Guess you can get away with anything if you've got really great legs," she joked. Apollo swatted her on the arm and she feigned injury. "Ohhhh…father's moving in on your girlfriend, is he?" she taunted.

"She's not my girlfriend…she's my…hope," he realized aloud. Apollo tore his eyes away when the camp went dark and returned his attention to his own tent mate.

Adama woke before Roslin in the morning. The cover they had wasn't enough to keep them completely warm and they had latched onto each other to make up for it. All this time together and he still didn't know what to make of her. She was intelligent and strong and he loved to look at her but…she nearly destroyed him and the fleet for this wild religious goose chase. Yet, just holding her made him feel more alive than he had since the birth of his sons.

Laura stirred in his arms and smiled up at him when she woke.

"I don't suppose you're used to sleeping in the woods, Madam President. Are you OK?"

"Actually, I haven't slept that soundly since I left Caprica, maybe even before that," she mused. She was as surprised as he was. She liked the outdoors but wasn't a big camper. Her pride kept her from acknowledging what she knew subconsciously. She slept soundly because this formidable man held her close and that was all she needed. To her conscious mind, that was too needy to suit the strong character she worked so hard to maintain.

"Me too, but I love sleeping in the woods." Adama was glad he'd decided to forgive her and even agreed to help her with her quest. Maybe if he backed her up on her search, when it proved futile she would give up all of the religious crap and they could trust each other again. He did not admit to himself he was hoping for more than trust and more than an embrace.

When everything she predicted came to pass, Adama was shocked but found part of him knew she was right all along. At his core, he hoped if her gift was real it would save her from the cancer. Of all the horrible log passages he read after his recovery, that one hit him the hardest. Though he couldn't stop thinking about it, he couldn't bring himself to ask her about it. He sensed she wasn't ready to talk about it. He wasn't sure he was either.

The triumphant group halted their excited chatter when they came upon the shredded remains of the first transport. It was the one that carried the "fugitives" here and now it was laid to waste by Cylons. Adama led the group back double-time to the transport he brought. Though two of the original travelers would stay buried on Kobol, it was going to take some creativity to get everyone left onboard the small shuttle…if the Cylons hadn't already found it.

Luckily, it was still in one piece when they got to it. Adama figured the Cylons were following the first group's track up the mountain as the humans were coming back down. They'd better scramble. After a cursory check for planted explosives, Adama whispered instructions to the group to load.

"It's going to be tight so we're going to have to lap sit and strap to the floor. If we leave all the gear here we should have enough lift. Helo, you're responsible for the Cylon, Chief, you take Cally, Apollo, you've got Starbuck. Billy, you and Dr. Baltar will strap to the deck and I'll take the President."

It sounded uncomfortable but Billy nodded his ascent. He was just happy to be getting out of here and to have someone who knew what he was doing giving him orders.

On the other hand, Gaius wasn't willing to be uncomfortable, nor follow orders, nor give up the opportunity to get next to the President. "As the Vice President, I think I should have a seat and the President should sit on my lap," he whined.

Adama looked at Baltar with disgust but didn't have time for squabbling or to pick him up if he flattened him with a punch. "Fine, just get in," Adama commanded from gritted teeth.

"Dr. Baltar, I don't think it's wise for you and I to share a seat. If we get hit by flak, that leaves no one to clearly ascend to the Presidency," Roslin pointed out as the rest boarded. She knew this was the one carrot that would get him to give up a seat.

"Quite right, Madam President," he swallowed, "I hadn't thought of the flak."

"Since the skin on the underbelly is armored, you'll be safer strapped to the deck," she pointed out.

"Yes, Madam President. I'll do what's best for the Colonies, of course."

Starbuck whispered into Apollo's ear, "What the hell is she talking about?" referring to the lack of armor on this craft.

"Politics," Apollo replied with a grin as he sat down and smugly slapped his thigh for Starbuck to sit down.

Once everyone else was seated, Adama gave his hand to the President to help her aboard. He sat down and she settled into his lap without hesitation. Adama quickly strapped them in and gave the order to go. Shortly after they cleared the tree line, they started taking fire and the pilot punched it to get them out of range as fast as possible.

Until they were out of range, he had to jink to evade fire.

A round punctured the airframe and zipped by the President's head and out through the top of the craft. She didn't scream. She just pressed herself tighter against Adama and closed her eyes.

"Chief, we've got to get some speed patch across those before we make altitude," Adama ordered.

The Chief was already out of his harness and he and Cally were moving to the MX kit. "Got it, Sir!" he replied.

Adama drew his hand up to cradle the back of the President's head. She was so brave. Gods he loved her. "Let Tigh know we'll have to jump as soon as we're in," he ordered the engineer. "I'm sure those bastards are tracking us."

As they approached Galactica, Billy spoke from where he sat with his knees drawn to his chest on the deck. "Madam President, when we land everyone will be waiting. I need to know what you and Commander Adama want them to think."

Laura Roslin looked into Adama's eyes for an answer. She had fulfilled her mission. She'd be willing to step down and hand things over to Baltar if it was the only way to keep peace. Despite their apparent truce, she wasn't sure if the Commander would find it too detrimental to his ability to lead if he supported her as President after she betrayed him.

"What do we want them to think, Commander?" she asked, ceding control to him now that he'd helped her do what she had to do.

"Billy, we want them to know that the President and I are now more closely aligned than ever. We want them to know that now we have the knowledge to take them to Earth." Though he addressed Billy, he never took his gaze from the woman he was holding. She beamed at him with unmitigated adoration.

Easily embarrassed, Billy coughed and looked down at his hands. "OK, then. The message is that there's no daylight between you." Hoping they weren't gazing at each other, he looked back up to convey his instructions. "We need to show everyone, especially the civilians of the fleet, that you completely support the President and that the President isn't threatened by you or the military. I think the best way to do that is visually. There will be a lot of photos. Your body language will determine what people make of the relationship."

"I appreciate your effort to 'spin' this, but I'm an officer, not a politician. You want to give that to me in a simple order?" Adama said with some weariness.

"Sir, I recommend you and the President literally don't let any daylight come between you for the first half dozen or so public appearances. You should always be side by side, or she should have your arm, or if you're seated, you should be right next to each other with your forearms in contact if possible. Whenever you can, you should put your hand on the small of her back or even around her waist. You should whisper to each other a lot too, even if you have nothing to say. Nothing says solidarity like a shared secret."

Adama looked at Roslin to see if she was buying this. It sounded like a lot of pretense just to get people to forget…he locked her up and…she divided the fleet. Then he realized he better just do what Billy said. Following his own instincts got them into this mess. "Madam President, can you put up with me pawing you and whispering in your ear for the sake of the fleet?"

"Well if you're willing to endure that much proximity, I suppose I can be big about it," she drawled.

Billy smiled and sighed with relief. He never thought he could get these two who had nearly killed each other and half the fleet in the process, to agree to feign closeness. Maybe he was a better politician than he thought!

When they landed, everyone else got off first. Cheers greeted every passenger as they disembarked except Sharon. Gasps gave way to jeers and threatening shouts. If she weren't clearly shackled and en route to the brig, things probably would have erupted in violence. A wave of dread came over the crowd as Sharon was lead away and the Commander failed to appear. Had she finally killed him?

Relief spread when he finally appeared in the doorway. He waved then held his hands up to silence the cheers and applause. "Ladies and gentlemen, the President of the Colonies has returned to us," he announced with authority as he stretched his hand out to help her from the cabin.

President Roslin didn't show any hesitation though she was completely unsure how she would be received aboard Galactica. She took his hand and, keeping Billy's instruction in mind, held on to it as they stood at the top of the stairs. The crowd applauded but wasn't as welcoming as they were to Adama. Picking up on this, Adama laced his fingers through hers to let her know he would continue to hold her hand as they made their way down the stairs and through the crowd.

By the time they were off the staircase, the crowd had fallen silent but watchful. They seemed to be waiting for an explanation or speech. Roslin surveyed them and Adama halted at her side. She made use of Billy's trick to stall for time. As she leaned in to whisper in Adama's ear that she didn't know what to say, he turned his head so he could hear her. To the crowd, it looked like she was kissing him on the cheek. The hanger exploded in applause, whistles and shouts of approval.

Both of them were surprised by the sudden excitement of the crowd. Neither realized what just happened but they smiled and waved and he put his hand on her back to lead her through the crowd as fast as possible. He took her back to his quarters so she could clean up after the jump while she waited for the maintenance crew to turn the shuttle for a return to Colonial One.

In his Q, he apologized for not having anything "Presidential" for her to change into but said he could get her a set of PT gear.

"Do you think there's a spare flightsuit I could use?" she asked to his surprise.

Not wanting to pick a fight, he didn't vocalize his surprise that she would wear a military uniform, even in a pinch. "Yes, I think I can get you one," was all he said as he handed her a towel.

"Thank you," she said as she took it. "I can't wait to get a shower, even if it's not a long, hot one," she remarked as she walked away from him toward his bathroom. He tried not to picture the obvious but couldn't keep his eyes from following her to the door. When she turned to close it, she caught him watching her. He cleared his throat and murmured, "I'll get you that flightsuit," to hide his interest.

Oblivious to what she just did to her host, Laura Roslin peeled off the clothes she wore for the last two days and turned on the shower. She felt guilty about getting in before him but she was grateful he offered. At first she felt awkward about using his soap and shampoo but the familiar scents, his scents, made her feel good and the warm water relaxed her.

She emerged from his bathroom wrapped in a towel with her wet hair combed back. Adama just returned with the flightsuit. Seeing her with her hair wet made him want to withhold the flightsuit. To keep himself in check, he crossed to her and handed her the uniform without lingering.

"I think this will fit, Madam President. I'll be in the shower so you'll have the room for privacy," he mumbled while avoiding eye contact.

"Thank you," she said to his back as he hurried into the bathroom. On some level she was disappointed that he didn't show any spark of interest in her even though she was practically naked. She dismissed all of her ideas about any sort of closeness with him and forced herself to focus on cold reality. She would be dead in a few weeks. There was no sense wasting time on something that couldn't happen. Determined not to fall into a well of self pity, she took notice of one of the artifacts in his library as a means of distraction.

It was an ancient tool from Gemini. She studied the attached plaque inscribed with a lengthy history of the tool and the mythology associated with it. From there, a photo album on the third shelf caught her eye. Her sense of propriety was trumped by her lack of time left to live. After setting the flightsuit down on the couch, she pulled the album down and opened it with the intention of apologizing later if it upset Adama.

Pictures of Adama's family and military exploits fascinated her. She poured over them with no regard for the loss of time. When the door opened behind her, she closed the album and quickly returned it to the shelf. Adama was surprised and somewhat distressed that she was not dressed.

"It doesn't fit?"

"Actually, I haven't tried…"Roslin's words trailed off as she turned to face him. Two round scars and lines from incisions on his bare chest stole her attention. It reminded her how close he'd recently come to dying. Silently, she moved to him and instinctively reached out to touch the scars.

The incident still haunted Adama but he didn't flinch when she gently laid her hand on his wounds. After tracing the scars with her fingers and contemplating what he went through, she looked into his eyes with great pain. Only then did she realize her intrusion but she did not back away.

His jaw was clinched when she first stared at his wounds but when she touched him he felt unexpected relief at sharing the pain. She wasn't just curious; she wanted to feel what he felt. He'd been very close to where she was going. In a strange way, the specter of death made them kindred.

Adama's door buzzed and he reluctantly withdrew from her to open the hatch.