Coding: Roslin/Billy

Spoilers: Water

Disclaimer: This lot belong to Ronald D. Moore and Universal Studios. I just borrow them, make them do weird stuff and then put them back again. No infringement intended.

A/N: Okay – this is what happens when I have too much time on my hands!

Faux Pas

She's a good person, she's just had a crappy day - a very crappy day and her back hurts. She wants a stiff drink but alcohol is hard to come by, she wants to tell Colonel Tigh were he can stick his contemptuous attitude, wants to wear something other than her three suits, wants to feel feminine again and she hasn't felt wanted for so long...

Billy accompanies her into her quarters and she sits down.

They need to discuss the following days agenda but she doesn't feel like it. "Can we go over tomorrow's schedule in the morning?" she implores.

He smiles sheepishly. "Sure."

She stretches her back and tries to release the kink that's been bothering her all day. Unsuccessful, she sighs in annoyance.

And she's a good person, but when he says. "You want me to massage that knot out of your shoulder?" (ever the innocent) she can't help but think of him pressed up against her.

She feels ashamed of these thoughts. "No, I'm alright," she assures him.

But he's the only one who knows the ins-and-outs of her life; her habits and her weak-points and she can see she's not fooling him.

"You're sure?" he asks again.

She's exhausted, her shoulders ache and her resilience is low. She's a good person who's had a crappy day and finds herself giving way. "Oh - alright…"

He sits beside her on the couch. She turns her back to him and his fingers immediately find the sore spot between her shoulder blades. She leans into his touch and closes her eyes. The day's anxieties start to fade.

He tries to rub her neck but her jacket collar prevents him. "Uh, Madame President…" he says.

Silently she slips off her jacket. Billy takes it and vigilantly places it over the back of the sofa.

Then his hands are pressing into her skin again, kneading her shoulders. She expels a sigh as she relaxes. She hopes she doesn't have many more days like this. Colonel Tigh openly challenging her claim to the Presidency, being personally responsible for more deaths, hating the very thought of being alone because she's fed-up of her own company, not eating because she can't keep anything down…

His fingers travel agilely up her spine, with one hand, he gently gathers her hair and lets it fall over her left shoulder. Tingles encompass her scalp. His hands caress the bare skin of her neck and she smiles at the soothing sensation.

"You should take this up professionally!" she teases.

He stops, his hand gripping the back of her neck.

She opens her eyes. "Billy?" she turns to look at him, their faces a little too close.

"You have very supple skin," he says awkwardly, deeply effected by their closeness. "Delicate…" his thumb grazes her skin.

She smiles. "You really don't know anything about women, do you?"

And she's a good person, she's just had a crappy day, she hasn't been wanted for so long and Billy is waiting for her to kiss him… so she cups his face and slowly leans in, pressing her mouth to his. He hesitates and then grips her forearms, pulling her close to him.

And she knows this is a bad idea, a very bad idea, knows she'll regret it – but she's had a bad day and she's a good person and she's allowed to make mistakes.

The End