One way to Annoy the Admiral.
You know the drill.
Bill sat across form Laura and watched as she cracked her back. the sound made Adama wince and clench his jaw. He had never enjoyed the noise when someone cracked a joint. Saul had used to do the same thing to him in the earlier days of their friendship and Bill nearly punched him for it. That was until he met Ellen and she said that it was a disgusting thing so he stopped because of her.
Crack.
Laura had started popping her knuckles as she continued to read the latest report the Quorum floated her way. She pulled her finger back far enough until the knuckle cracked then she repeated the process with her other fingers. "Laura?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you have to do that?"
"Do what?"
"Crack your knuckles." Bill said.
Laura stopped and looked at him, and then a sly smile crossed her face. There were few things that bothered Bill Adama and she didn't think that a little thing like cracking knuckles would do this.
"Does..." Crack. "That..." Crack. "Really..." Crack. "Bother..." Crack. "You?" Crack.
Bill clenched his jaw again and glared at her. If he said yes then she would continue until she had nothing left to crack, for a while anyway. He looked across the table and she was getting ready to start on her left hand. Before she knew it Bill had reached his hands across the table and covered her with his own.
"It really does bother you doesn't it?" Laura asked. Then she smiled and got up from her chair to stand in front of him. She leaned down ran her hands down his face and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"I didn't think cracked your joints." Bill said when Laura stood straight.
"I don't. Saul put me up to the idea when he met me the last time on the hanger deck." Laura smiled sweetly and quickly put her hands on Adama's shoulders to steady her when a sudden wave of dizziness over came her.
"Laura?" Bill placed his hands on her waist to steady her even more.
"Don't you just hate when you get a head rush?" Laura said and took the only available seat; Bill's lap. She rested her forehead against his and felt calmer than she had in months.
"Comfortable?"
"Yeah."
"You ok now?" Bill asked
"I'll be fine as soon as the vertigo goes away." Laura replied and made no move to get up off his lap or move her head back from his.
"What are you doing?" Bill asked wrapping his arms around her waist more securely.
"Rocking the boat after you said it wouldn't be a good idea." Laura replied.
They sat like that for a while. It was Adama who said that this thing between them wasn't such a good idea to return to since she had become president again. Whatever this thing was between them it had started the day of the attacks and had grown into something more that day he had seen her in the red dress. That night had been bitter sweet he had to leave the next morning. Now she was back to being President and the thing between them could only complicate their working relationship that had just gotten back to normal. Tigh was back to being his XO and Laura. Well he didn't know where she stood. She was his direct superior and the leader of the fleet yet here she was sitting in his lap and Adama was entertaining other kinds of thought that he had had on New Caprica.
He felt her lips on his temple and her fingers unbuttoning the first few buttons of his uniform. This felt so right and so wrong all at the same time.
"Laura?"
She pulled back and looked him in the eyes. What Bill saw there was something he never thought he would see ever from Laura Roslin. Fear.
"Our jobs don't come into this room. Here we are just Laura and Bill. Out there the President and Admiral exist, but not here." Her voice was small and held a note of exhaustion.
"Laura if this..." Bill tried but Laura covered his mouth with her hand.
"It will." She whispered. Laura moved off his lap and walked over to his rack leaving clothes in her wake. Against his better judgment Bill followed her.
THE NEXT MORNING
Bill woke to find Laura gone. Her scent still clung to the pillow next to him and to his skin. He should have known...
"I hope you don't mind but I borrowed your shower." Laura said toweling her hair. Bill looked at her and his mouth hung open. Relief flooded his system at the sight of her.
"I thought you had left." Bill whispered. Laura sat on the edge of the rack and threw the damp towel at his face. When he removed it he saw that she was frowning at him.
"Why would you think that?" She asked and poked him in the chest for good measure.
"I woke up and you were gone. Then I thought..."
"I'm not leaving. Where would I go? Honestly there is no where in the fleet that I could hide from you." She joked and smiled slightly. "You may want to get a shower because we slept a lot later than we should have."
Bill looked over at the clock and for once he didn't care. Lacing his fingers behind his head he lounged back against the pillows. Laura curled into his side and relaxed. She could still smell him on her skin despite the shower she just had. It was a scent that should never be able to wash off and she didn't want to. They laid together and allowed sleep to claim them again. Whether anyone came looking for them it didn't matter because the President and Admiral were not on duty. It was Laura and Bill who was in the Admirals quarters just being together.