Mutiny; bringing the big guns

Laura looked up from her reports to see that Bill Adama had the strangest look on his face. And President Roslin had never seen it before. She'd seen various versions of the infamous Adama Glare. She'd seen his face when he put her in the brig. The expression on his face wasn't like any of those. He looked almost devious. Laura wasn't sure she could handle a devious Admiral.

"Should I be worried about a mutiny?"

"From me, never."

"Then why do you look like you're about to start one?"

"I learned my lesson, last time. I promise."

In spite of his intelligence, Bill Adama had never done particularly well in school. Because he was so stubborn, most of his life's lessons were learned the hard way. He learned best from experience. A teacher as skilled as Laura Roslin would have known he was a tactile learner who needed a "hands on" approach to his lessons. Instead, his teachers had treated him with indifference. Because of his coloring and build, they assumed he was destined to become a thug. Thugs have no use for anything but their fists. And at a young age, Bill's fists were already the stuff of legend. Boys much older and bigger than Bill had learned not to mess with the quiet Tauron. Bill always brought the big guns with his damaging fists, and he wasn't afraid to lose control.

The school system had failed Bill. Perhaps that was the source of his initial reaction to the Secretary of Education. He assumed Secretary Roslin was just like the teachers he had. That she'd treat him like he was nothing more than a thug in a uniform. Bill didn't realize how different she was. He had no idea how much the quality of colonial education had improved in the years since Laura had become its Secretary.

But Laura was different. And she encouraged him to learn the way he always had, through experience. The woman valued the knowledge that had come from his experiences over the years. She valued the lessons they learned through their respective failures. And he loved that about her. Over time, he'd come to love everything about her. Laura never needed to worry about a mutiny. Bill would be her most loyal servant till the end of his days.

"That's good."

"What is?"

"That you learned your lesson."

"I always learn from you, Madame President."

"Good. You're not easy to teach."

"Am I worth the effort?"

"All students are worth the effort."

"Hmph. Tell that to my teachers."

"I probably did before I fired them."

"You..."

"I wasn't always an upper crust government official, Bill. I worked my way up through the ranks. Got my hands dirty."

"I like the thought of you with dirty hands."

"What do you want, Bill?"

"You. Always you."

"I had to ask, didn't I?"

"Yes you did. Your inquisitive nature is one of the things I love most about you."

"I'll have to get you to list the other things, some time."

"Oh, I will, later."