Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters below; I am only borrowing them and will not be financially benefitting from the story in anyway. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author Notes: Thanks to Bugs for the beta!

Electional Blackmail Part 10: A Deal and a Reveal.

Bill pressed his ear flush to the metal of the dividing wall.

The women were arguing - of that much he was certain, however the shouting had stopped. Their voices were now nothing but a chorus of muffled sounds and only occasionally, would a clear word reach his straining ears.

xXx

"Alright." Christine folded her arms at her chest. "I want off this ship."

"Understandably." Laura narrowed her eyes as she considered Christine's request. "Where do you have in mind?"

"Cloud Nine," she said resolutely. "And not just any room; I want a suite."

Laura scoffed, "I don't know what you've heard about living conditions elsewhere in the fleet Christine, but we have a severe overcrowding problem; Cloud Nine being no exception."

"So." The other woman shrugged nonchalantly. "Make an exception."

"You expect me to evict people from their home because you have a taste for the extravagant?" Laura asked incredulously. "I mean, have you heard yourself? Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

Laura clenched her jaw and shook her head firmly. "I won't do it."

"Not even to save your own ass?" A mocking smile twisted Christine's lips. "I suppose I could go to Baltar. If I help him win the election…I'm sure he'll be happy to oblige…"

"Those suites house families with children."

"That's crap!" Christine snapped, her patience with Laura beginning to wan. "Tell me, where was all this concern for my family? Did you give any thought to my children when you were frakking my husband?"

xXx

"Well, I heard that."

Bill's inquisitive ear was still pressed to the wall, yet he found himself completely unperturbed by the new information.

'So, Laura had an affair.' He shrugged. 'Not as if monogamy was one of the 'four pillars' of Caprica City…there's got to be more to this… '

xXx

Not for the first time in her presidency, Laura found herself trapped between a rock and a hard place. If she refused Christine, there was a strong chance that she would lose the election, and as her astute adversary had pointed out, that would probably mean the families being turned-out anyway.

'Bigger picture Laura,' she told herself. 'Gaius Baltar cannot become President.'

"Why go to all this trouble? If a suite on Cloud Nine is all you desire…" Laura played devil's advocate. "…why not go straight to Baltar?"

"Ah, I was wondering when you would ask that question…" Christine took a confident step forwards, closing the space between them. "And I'll tell you a secret." She invaded Laura's personal space, forcing the president to move backwards. "I'm not voting for Baltar."

"Why? Do you have nothing on him? Nothing you could use to your advantage?"

"You're so cynical." Christine began to slowly circle around Laura. The president stood her ground; her eyes focussed dead ahead as the other woman spoke from the shadows behind. "But you're not entirely wrong - information is power, after all."

"So, I can't be sure this is will be your only demand?"

"I guess not." Christine reappeared as she continued. "And before you get any ideas Madame President – I've heard about your trigger-happy air-locking. Just so you know, if I go missing, this information will leak."

The women locked eyes and Laura's narrowed – the corners of her lips turning upwards in a tight grimace. 'A rock…and a hard place.'

"Alright." Laura finally found her voice, outstretching her arm." A room on Cloud Nine -not a suite…I'm prepared to offer you no more."

Christine's disfigured nostrils flared; she set her jaw and nodded her head - before clasping the Presidents hand with her own. "Deal."

xXx

Bill heard the hatch to the other room open and close, followed by the familiar clip-clop of the president's heels.

He opened his hatch a crack and listened to Laura retreat into the distance - before swiftly heading to the room next door.

He pushed the heavy door open forcefully; a gust of air causing dust particles to dance in the light emitted from the corridor outside.

"Show yourself," Bill demanded to the seemingly empty room; the Admiral knew when he wasn't alone.

"Admiral…" A woman purred from a darkened corner of the room, "…to what do I owe this pleasure?"

TBC

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