Laura Roslin watched the televised interview on her laptop for the third time, hands rubbing her temples as the scene played out again.

"Oh, Tom, you never listen, do you?" she murmured at the grinning image of Tom Zarek as he declared that the events during the Caprica City protest that he'd led three weeks ago were the result of a "mutual misunderstanding." He continued making the promised statement, word for word, never deviating from the brief script. The detainees had been released. Caprican officials had agreed to look more closely at Saggittaron labor practices and peaceful negotiations would continue. His voice was robotic - monotone. He made it abundantly clear that his emotionless performance was the product of a canned speech, saying far more by implication than what the actual words meant. The only times that he showed his trademark zeal occurred when he mentioned certain buzz words: Mayor Adar, investigation, democracy...

Laura shut her laptop and closed her eyes, leaning back into the leather cushioning of her chair. The man was determined to get himself killed. He'd promised her that he'd honor the deal that she'd worked so hard to obtain for him. They'd lay low. They'd watch and wait. Careful. I can be careful, Laura. He'd promised.

Her intercom buzzed.

"Yes, Billy?"

"Tom Zarek - "

She sighed. "Send him in."

Tom bounced into her office with all of the hyperactive energy of a giddy teenager. He made a beeline for her and proceeded to lay an exuberant kiss on her scowling mouth. He withdrew immediately when she didn't respond.

"Look, Laura , I'm sor -"

She sprang out of her chair, knocking over a container of pens in the process and sending them skidding across the floor with the toe of her shoe.

She rounded on him. "Don't...you...dare."

"I don't know why you're so upset. I did what they wanted. To the letter even - if you want to get technical."

"That's bullshit and you know it. These men are dangerous. I didn't ask you to give it all up; just to make a gesture. To take the heat off - not to mention keeping you and your people out of jail. And you agreed."

Tom lowered his voice and all pretense evaporated. "All right. What if I didn't play by the rules? You wanna know why?"

"I know why, Tom. After fifteen years, I think I know a thing or two about you. You did it because you can't stand to make concessions. But what good are your precious principles when you're locked up?" Her mouth twitched. "Or dead."

"As if you know anything about making a frakking concession." He laughed. "At least now that the case is over, we don't have to worry anymore about lawyer-client fraternization. I stopped by, per the usual, for a quick victory celebration frak. How does the desk work for you?" He kicked the overturned half-empty cupful of pens that lay by his feet. "You've already started clearing it off; I always did admire the way you think ahead."

"Get out."

Tom ignored her. "On again. Off again. A dinner date. A quick frak. And it's never supposed to mean anything."

"Out," Laura repeated with less conviction.

"Sweetheart, I've been practicing that move since we met." He brushed past her and strode toward the door. The handle clicked as he pushed it down. But just before he would have yanked the door open, Laura spoke.

"I love you."

Tom's hand went lax. He froze, still facing the door. The room was so quiet he could hear the expensive Cassari clock on her desk ticking. "Say it again."

She did.

He listened as the tap of her heels brought her closer and shivered when he felt her hand touch his arm. He turned then, pulling her close. Her face was wet against his neck. He rubbed her back as he held her.

"I'm still mad at you," she reminded him, the words muffled as she nuzzled into the collar of his shirt. She felt incredible. The warmth of her. The nearness. And she was just so godsdamned familiar it hurt.

He'd already told her he loved her. Once. Five years ago. Gunfire had broken out at the courthouse and he couldn't reach her on her cell. It didn't matter that he hadn't seen her for almost two years. As soon as he'd heard the report on the news, she was the only thing on his mind. Once he'd gotten a hold of her, he'd insisted that he needed to see her and they'd ended up having a desperate tryst in the restroom of Caprican Brew, an out of the way coffee shop on the outskirts of Caprica City.

For the first time ever, he'd uttered those three fateful, unrequited words as he'd kissed her goodbye while she settled into the front seat of her car. He wouldn't see her again for almost another year and he told himself that the risks he took in the eleven months that followed had everything to do with the cause and nothing to do with getting Laura Roslin's attention again - negative or positive. Oh, he'd gotten her attention all right, right along with yet another arrest. Love him or not, it had never seemed to matter because - he couldn't seem to stay away from her.

"You're awfully quiet," said Laura, pulling him back into the present. She kissed him, softly and sweetly.

"This is a nice moment," said Tom. Laura looked up at him, smiling through her tears. "I don't want to forget it," he added. She hummed her agreement and they simply held onto one another. He breathed in the scent of her, the fresh peachy smell of her shampoo.

Too soon, she wriggled away from him. "My makeup is getting all over your shirt." Sometimes he wondered if that fastidious practicality of hers was really just another part of her armor.

He pulled her back. "I don't care."

"It's not the first time I've said it, you know," said Laura as she gave him another little kiss. "Sometimes when you're out cold on my sofa after we've - " She motioned with her head toward the couch in her office. They'd given it some serious wear and tear over the years. " - a couple of times I was sure you must have heard me say it."

Tom's voice broke. "No."

"This doesn't make things any easier, you know. Or any less complicated," she said.

Tom traced the length of her nose with the tip of his index finger. "I want you. In a bed. Not in your office for a quickie." He squeezed her a little tighter for emphasis, "And I want you to be there in the morning when I wake up."

"Don't think I don't realize that you're changing the subject. And I don't think you're in any position to make demands."

Tom shrugged. "That's never stopped me before."

"Well, that's true. Okay. Just us. Not a quickie. But for the being there in the morning part, what if I have an early meeting?" she teased.

"You love me," he reminded her, still glowing from her declaration.

"There are logistics to work out, especially now that you're even more on the radar than ever."

He watched the changing expressions on her face as she considered a way for them to meet safely, her furrowed brow, the deliberate tilt of her head.

"We'll have to be extra careful," she said finally. Her eyes narrowed. "Careful like you were supposed to be. They're probably going to be keeping a very fixed eye on you after the stunt you pulled. And we're going to have to wait."

"I'll wait then," said Tom.

Two months of separation and to Tom it felt like a year. He almost regretted it, almost wished that they'd simply locked her office door and made use of her sofa yet again. But now the wait was over and he'd have her for a long weekend, in a little lakeside cabin nestled in the mountains. Just the two of them.

They brought their bags in together, the groceries last. Tom piled eggs and cold cuts, potato salad and half and half into the fridge.

"Just the perishables," he told her when he watched her begin unpacking the bag of non-perishable staples.

She was coy. "Something on your mind, Mr. Zarek?"

He ignored the inflammatory question. Instead, he scooped her up, fireman's carry style, and carried her into the bedroom. She kicked her shoes off somewhere along the way and Tom deposited her on the rustic queen sized sleigh bed. Laura caught his shirt in her hand and pulled him to her, draping a leg around his midsection when he was close enough for her to do so.

"This was supposed to be slow," he said as his body lurched into overdrive in the heat of the provocative pose. He slid a hand under her summer dress to caress his way up her leg, fingertips brushing against her knee as he inched his way higher.

"Fast now….slow later….and everything else we can manage in between," Laura panted, as she tugged at his shirt.

Tom smirked at her. "Oh, honey, I can work with that."

She palmed him through his pants and gods he adored the thrilled sound she made when she found him already hard - half coo, half hum. Clothes began whizzing through the air, mostly his. Laura was much too busy, slipping her hand inside his pants and playing with him in a way that wasn't going to do much for prolonging his longevity if she kept up the way she was handling him, not that he didn't like it.

"Laura - "

Her pretty face was flushed, green eyes glazed over. "Mmmmm?"

"As much as I'm enjoying your attention..." Tom ran his fingers through her hair.

She giggled. "Oh, I guess I was getting a little carried away." She slowly removed her hand from inside his underwear and pouted. "You're still wearing too much."

"You, too."

The removal of clothing was a messy affair, hindered by the kisses that they just couldn't stop exchanging. It was inefficient and awkward...and perfect. When they were both naked, Tom skimmed his hands back and forth over her legs, parting them. He slid a finger in between her folds, delighted to find her already wet.

"You are so frakking sexy," he said, rubbing her slick center and dipping his head down to suckle at her neck. Laura had a thing about her neck and he was only too happy to oblige. He sucked and nibbled, soothing his rougher nips with tiny kisses. He edged the tip of his tongue against the shell of her ear and Laura whimpered.

"I want you, Tom...Please…."

He wasn't sure if she wanted him to make her come or if she wanted him inside her but he'd never shied away from making decisions so he made an executive one and shifted his position, pushing into her in one motion. It seemed to be the right decision from the sounds that she made as he thrust in and out. Her hips rotated to meet his and soon they found a deep, steady rhythm.

She was so beautiful with that blissful expression on her face, lips parted and eyes half-closed. He had to recite the elements of the periodic table in his head to keep from coming too soon. Another couple of thrusts and Tom felt her walls clench around him as she began to climax. She chanted his name over and over with each little gasp of breath and pulled him closer, wrapping her arms around his back and arching her body into his.

He came hard then, plunging into her until the final tremors subsided, until he had nothing left to give her.

"Gods," said Laura, her voice breathy in a way that made him grin. She was adorable but Tom knew better than to tell sophisticated Laura Roslin that she was unbearably cute. Even if, in this particular moment, it were true.

He pulled her against his chest, brushing a stray red curl from her cheek, and settled for three other words instead.