Disclaimer: BSG is not mine. Characters: A/R.

Safe Haven

It was one of those days again. She hadn't gotten the chance to have lunch, she felt tired but had no spare minute to even think about a rejuvenating nap, and her schedule was stuffed till late at night. Sometimes, it was hard to be the President of the Colonies. It wasn't so much the burden of responsibility or power, it was the disappointed expectations and defeats that got to her on days like that. Knowing that she couldn't devide herself, she had to focus on the task at hand rather than at everything at the same time. And sometimes that meant that some solutions to minor problems had to be postponed, and that in the worst cases, the solution came too late. Today, Laura Roslin had had to postpone several minor problems, and she had the distinct feeling that Tory hadn't even bothered to bring everything to her precious attention. She would check on that later, if she remembered. Right now, she had to face another exhausting attempt to interrogate Gaius Baltar. And she wasn't able to cope so easily with that. His resistance to accept his role in the crimes against humanity affected her more deeply than she would openly admit. She refused to talk to anyone about that, only Admiral Adama was an exception. He was an exception to the rule concerning so many things in Laura Roslin's life. He was the only person who preoccupied her mind without haunting her. He was her salvation on the most stressful of days. The mere thought of his smirking lips, of his clapping hands before so many others, of his steadying arms, of his tender eyes made her survive the dullest meetings and tasks. It was very un-presidential to allow herself to let her mind wander off in certain situations. But she would never allow anybody to catch her daydreaming. She was very professional about everything, including her dreams. It was a gift to be able to dream herself away while keeping her eyes and ears focused enough to follow the necessities of the boring parts of her job.

Right now, she wasn't daydreaming because she was bored, but because she was exhausted. She needed her mind to settle down a little. She needed to prepare herself for another session with her former Vice President. She needed to gather some strength to shield herself from his ignorance.

She didn't even notice how her feet dragged her along the corridor, how she knocked at the doors to his quarters, how her smile broadened when he bit her to enter, and how she felt at ease the moment the doors were closed behind her and she was alone with him, being welcomed by one of his warmest smiles.

She noticed how he spoke her name, calmly and with a question mark arising in his beautiful eyes. She shook her head the slightest of bits, giving him one of her cutest smiles. How was it possible that she felt immature and safe around him at the same time?

She swayed towards him on the couch, gracefully resting her tired body next to him, her head falling on his shoulders. She closed her eyes. It was good to smell the scent of him, to feel his steady breath and his arm closing around her waist.

He spoke her name again, ever so softly that you might overhear it as a shy whisper. "Laura?"

Her answer was simple and breathed against his skin. "It's just one of those days."

He smiled. He understood. So he tightened his embrace, caressing her waist and placing re-assuring kisses onto her soft hair. "I see."

He closed his eyes as well, knowing that he would only be allowed to enjoy her presence for the shortness of minutes before they would be interrupted by their responsibilities again. So he had learned to accept her sudden visits, her need for intimacy and protection from time to time. He knew that she was reloading her batteries like that, and he had no intention to break that habit. Her presence helped him to flee from Galactica for the shortness of moments, when he allowed his mind to wander off, fleeing to a place of safety and togetherness. A place where he could retire, where the burden of his command was left to other capable hands and where he woke in the loving arms of the woman he loved beyond understanding. It was a place filled with sunshine, laughter and leisure. A place where she could surprise him every minute of the day. A place free of Cylons, free of duties and free of holding back his feelings. It was a place he had learned to know Laura would enjoy. A place called home.