Tacit
by Charis
Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica and all associated characters belong to people who are not me. I'm just borrowing.
Notes: The scene in the episode has two lines in it, but it's all about the looks Adama and Roslin exchange, and her expression as he leaves.
She and Tigh are watching each other when he enters the brig, his XO somewhere between nervous and fuming, and the President with hands clasped before her and her chin lifted just slightly. Both turn to him when he arrives, but no one says a word. For a moment, his eyes lock with Laura's; it is he who turns away first.
"Open the cell." The words are neutral, directed to the guard. The young man complies, and once the heavy metal door has been slid aside, the President walks calmly past him, past Tigh, past the guard, and inside. She takes a few steps in before turning back towards them; he does not react, only directs the guard to close the door once more.
She shakes her hair back, straightens, and once again her eyes meet his. For a moment, time slows; a multitude of questions threaten to spill from him, a thousand things he wants to ask, foremost of which is why. But he knows that if he says anything, he will break, and that is the one thing he cannot afford right now.
As he turns away, he catches a spark of worry in her eyes - a fear not for herself, but something else. Once again, the question catches in his throat, but he does not stop. As he leaves the room, he can feel her watching him still.
- finis -