"We're like a seesaw."

"Excuse me?"

After many months of working with Laura, Bill knew that sometimes she blurted seemingly random things out during their meetings. Bill was the only person in the fleet privileged with that knowledge, and he catalogued it in his list of favorite things about his President. Of course, that list grew almost daily. But this adorable habit of hers was close to the top of it.

There was something else about Laura's blurting. The things she said in those instances might seem random, but they always were important in some way. He'd lost count of how many of their decisions were ultimately influenced by something she'd blurted. It was just the way her mind worked, and he loved it. Somehow, they were like a seesaw, and he just needed to wait for Laura to tell him how.

"I'm sorry, I was..."

"It's fine, Laura."

"I was thinking about seesaws. Remember them?"

"My boys used to love them."

"Children always did."

"I guess you have a lot of experience with them, Madame President."

"I do. I used to bring my students outside to play on nice days. Everyone wanted to play on the seesaw. It was a teachable moment, you know? They learned how to share. It was good."

"I would like to have known you then."

"Me too, Husker."

"I notice you don't call me Admiral Husker."

"I think Husker has a nice ring to it all on it's own."

"It does when you say it."

"Hmm."

"Getting back to the seesaw..."

"Right. They're much more fun when both riders are evenly balanced. That was another teachable moment."

"Seems you had a lot of those."

"My fair share, yes."

"So, we're like a seesaw because we're evenly balanced?"

"Yup."

"And we have fun?"

"As much as we could under the circumstances."

"You don't think we could have more fun?"

"What do you have in mind, Husker?"

Bill couldn't believe he was flirting with the President of the Twelve Colonies. Okay, he could believe it, considering his feelings for Laura, but he'd always remained appropriate in the past. But Laura didn't seem to mind at all. If anything she was challenging him. The look in her eyes told him she was waiting for an answer. They way she essentially purred his call-sign drove him crazy. He needed an answer, and quickly.

"You got time for some teachable moments?"

Laura had to admit that was one of the best euphemisms she ever heard. She wasn't sure if Bill even knew what he was giving a euphemism for. The way his eyes looked like they were staring at headlights when she decided to play along, told her he wasn't comfortable with the shift in their conversation. But she was a teacher first, and she'd make sure he'd learn.

"Who's doing the teaching?"

"I figure we could take turns. Balance each other."

Good recovery, Adama, she thought. "Like on a seesaw."

"Exactly."

"Who goes first?"

"Ladies and superior officers always go first, Laura."

"Hmm. I like that."

"Yes, Ma'am."