Disclaimer: Battlestar Galactica belongs to Ronald D. Moore and the Sci-Fi channel. The lyrics are from the song, "Everything Changes," by Staind, used in a montage by Hollywonka.

Part 2: Mending fences

She was still reluctant to trust him again. "You still chose sides, and whether you intended to or not, you let a schizophrenic maniac back into the fleet to do who-knows-what," she reminded, looking away at the curtain.

If you just walked away
What could I really say?
Would it matter anyway?
Would it change how you feel?

He swallowed hard. "Maybe in a trial like that, there was no right decision. Laura, maybe you think you can manage alone from here on out, but I can't."

I am the mess you chose
The closet you cannot close,
The devil in you I suppose
'Cause the wounds never heal.

"You may have to do this alone anyway," she whispered. Her expression was unreadable, but then she closed her eyes as silent tears began to creep down her cheeks. He did not hesitate to move from sitting in the chair to sitting next to her on the bed. She continued crying as he helped her sit up. Then he held her in his arms as she cried on his uniform, careful not to disturb the IV attached to her other hand.

But everything changes
If I could turn back the years
If you could learn to forgive me
Then I could learn to feel,

"Shh, shh, we'll get through this, Laura," he told her. The rumble of his voice comforted her.

Sometimes the things I say
In moments of disarray
Succumbing to the games we play
To make sure that it's real.

"Bill, don't let go," she stated. He held her closer until her tears stopped. She looked up at him slowly and he watched her, making sure that she was alright. "You really want to be here with me for my treatments?"

He smiled warmly and kissed her forehead. "Yes."

When it's just me and you.
Who knows what we could do.
If we can just make it through
The toughest part of the day.

Cottle pulled back the curtain. "I see you two aren't fighting anymore. Now get out before you confuse me more than you have already."

Adama and Roslin exchanged smiles and the admiral stood. "We're going. I'll be here for her next treatment though."

"Then I'm afraid you'll have to sit in a chair for that part," Cottle stated before leaving. Adama looked over at Roslin and flashed her sheepish grin.

But everything changes
If I could turn back the years
If you could learn to forgive me
Then I could learn to feel,

She sat up and chuckled quietly. "He thinks that he has to scold us like school children."

Adama offered her his hand and she took it. "I just hope he doesn't dare tell us to act our age."

Then he watched her giggle as she had when they had talked about being people again. "It's as if Jack thinks that the two of us could possibly get into trouble."

He chuckled heartily and offered her his arm. As they exited Life Station, he leaned closer to her and whispered, "That's because he knows us too well."

She cocked her head to one side and eyed him incredulously, trying to discern whether or not he was serious. He raised an eyebrow and then she smirked, shaking her head. "I need to head back to my ship. Tory has files that can't be ignored."

"I suppose I should walk you to your shuttle then," he rationalized.

When they reached the hanger, she was told that a Raptor would not be ready for ten minutes. He spoke as they waited patiently. "I just finished this interesting mystery that a friend gave me, Blood Runs at Midnight. Next week I think you should schedule time for a few hours of literary criticism."

Facing him, she grinned wryly and let a giggle slip through. "Bill Adama, don't tell me that's your pickup line. I've heard better."

He covered the hand that was holding his arm with his other hand, noticing that no one was watching them. "I've got better ones."

Their heads bent slowly toward each other. "What are you doing?" she asked in a soft voice, barely audible.

"Not letting go," he answered before his lips covered hers in a tender kiss.

Stay here together
And we could
Conquer the world
If we could
Say that forever
Is more than just a word.

She was blushing furiously when they finally pulled apart. "I think I could pencil a literary discussion into my schedule," she remarked before her pilot walked over to them.

The following week he led her to his quarters after her treatment. As they entered, she spotted table settings and two long candles. "Literary criticism meeting, huh? What's for lunch then?" she inquired.

He pulled a chair out for her and pointed to the dish. "I figured out how to make spaghetti from the algae."

"Impressive. And the candles?" she probed.

"My lighting's been flickering lately, so I figured on lighting candles until I can get someone over here to fix it," he replied logically. She laughed and shook her head.

If you just walked away
What could I really say?
Would it matter anyway?.
It wouldn't change how you feel.

As they began to eat, she spotted the book that he had mentioned earlier sitting on the edge of the table. His gaze followed hers and then returned to his food. She swirled some of the greenish spaghetti around her fork before eating it. "What did you think of the book?"

Her face looked warm and soft in the candle light, as it had so long ago when he had invited her to dinner along with Saul and Ellen Tigh. At the memory of it, part of him felt guilty for dragging her to such a disaster of a dinner. Today's simple gesture was partly making up for it, he hoped. She had asked him something and he had to glance over at the book again before the question registered.

"It was a good read with only a few complaints. The confusion over the fatal wound and the murder weapon was intriguing. The detective had an unusual approach to the case, but she did a good job solving the mystery. I liked her, but her partner whined too much. And then there was the villain. He was an interesting character, but I really think that he would have seemed more believable if he hadn't been described with that stereotypical mustache," Adama remarked, taking a sip of water.

Roslin giggled and nodded in agreement, trying to slurp an errant piece of spaghetti. "The mustache was a little over the top. The one you grew a while ago was much better. I'm glad you liked the detective though. My favorite character was the wise shipyard foreman who kept giving her advice. I think he and the detective would've made a good couple," she admitted.

When it's just me and you.
Who knows what we could do.
If we can just make it through
The toughest part of the day.

"And I thought you read books for the mystery. If Id' known you were that much of a romantic, I'd have put on some music," he joked. Only as she looked into his eyes, she realized that he might not be joking.

"Is this a date, or isn't it?" she questioned, setting her fork down in the empty dish.

His right hand came to rest on top of her left. "What would you say if it was?"

(My thanks to Kiyani, LavenderKate, miss mcGonagle, carolann, Sammy-Girl001, and Mariel3 for reviewing :D)

(Regarding the content of the book, it was speculation on my part).