AU and NON CANNON
"You'll never guess what i saw last night in Joe's bar." Tory said conversationally while she read over some reports.
"Who?" Roslin replied not looking up from her own stack of reports.
"Admiral Adama... and he was with another woman. They looked pretty comfortable sitting together at one of the back tables. Tory responded and never once looked up from the reports she was sifting through and then handing over to Laura. There was this sudden chill in the air and Tory looked over to Laura who was turned towards the wall staring at one of the pictures on the wall. It looked to Tory of the picture of her with the Admiral after she had given him the medal for distinguished service
"Really?" Laura was careful to keep her tone the same. Inside she was torn between anger and pain. She had thought a lot of thing about her and Bill over the last year and a half. Then they seemed to be growing closer ever since the return from planet hell. There had been that phone call when she hadn't wanted to get out of bed, but hearing his voice always made her seem a little bit better. Tonight she had a game of triad with Kara, Racetrack and Athena.
"If that's everything I think I'll leave you alone with this." Tory whispered and Laura turned.
"I'm sorry Tory. Thank you." Laura replied and tied to focus on her work again, but thoughts of Bill just kept creeping up on her and she tried to banish them but they were persistent. Since the Nebula Adama insisted that Roslin stay with him so he could ensure her safety 24/7. Colonial One still sailed through space next to the Galactica but at night there was a standing order for it to land every night. Laura never fought that because she knew it was a matter of safety for the rest of the government.
Not for an instant did she think that there would be another woman in Adama's life. Laura knew he had been married but his wives were dead. "Hey, Madam Pres, time for some Triad."
Laura looked up and saw Kara Thrace and Sharon Agathon standing in her door way. She smiled and dropped what she was doing to join them. Come to think of it this was something she had never told Adama about. Laura had been playing Triad with Racetrack, Starbuck, and Athena for almost six weeks, ever since she had started to live with Adama.
TWO HOURS LATER
Laura stared at her hand and then looked at the center of the table. There were little scraps of paper with writing on them. Since money had no value right now they bet other things. Right now Laura had ended up with a pair of Starbucks tennis shoes and one of her jackets. She had lost one hand and one of the things was that Laura had to say, "Starbuck is cool." to at least one person.
"Ok, so you have to tell. What is it that you and the Admiral do all a lone in his quarters?" Kara asked and knocked back another shot of the local moonshine that was brewed down on the hanger deck.
"Yeah, tell." Sharon said.
"There's nothing to tell." Laura said innocently and took a sip of Ambrosia.
"Please we see the way you two look at each other. If there was a match lit near you then Whoosh, instant pyre." Racetrack said from across the table.
"No, I'm not the Admirals type." She replied and checked her cards again.
"That's crazy. Adama likes powerful women who challenge him and you definitely fit the order."
"Then why didn't he like Cain?" Laura asked.
"Cain was a psychotic bitch." Sharon said.
"Ok ok are we going to finish this hand and then we can gossip about our dear Admiral." Racetrack banged her hand on the table.
It was Laura who ended up with full colors and won the last round for the night. They sat around talking about a few things and more than that Laura wasn't listening because she was thinking about the woman that Tory had seen Adama with.
"So do you sleep in his rack or on the couch?" Starbuck asked and poked Laura in the arm.
"I'm not going to answer that."
"Come on." Racetrack said.
"You can tell us." Sharon chimed in and Laura could feel herself blush.
"If you must know I sleep in his rack."
"Then where does the Old Man sleep?"
They all burst with laughter and ended up spilling what was left of their drinks on the deck. When that happened they all knew that it was time to go home. Sharon and Laura parted company with Starbuck and Racetrack. Since Sharon was a Cylon alcohol had less of an effect on her so she helped Laura who stumbled a few time walking through the Corridor back to the Admirals quarters.
Both Marine guards offered up a wary look when they saw he resident Cylon holding one arm of a tipsy president. The opened to door and there was the Admiral with one of those looks on his face. Sharon didn't meet his gaze.
"Thank you Athena. I got her from here." Adama said and took Laura's arm helping her inside.
ADMIRALS QUARTERS
Bill got Laura to the couch and then stood in front of her looking her up and down. She was dressed in a pair of Galactica running pants and had a matching zip up jacket to go with it. There was even a Triad deck poking out of the pocket and he recognized the deck. It was the one he had given Kara years ago.
"Why do you have Kara's Triad deck?"
"Huh?"
"This." Bill reached in her pocket and pulled out the deck of cards.
"Oh, yeah my turn to hold on for them until next week, besides I'm surprised to see you home. Shouldn't you be out with your woman?" Laura asked and got up to pace.
"What?!"
"Tory saw you in Joe's with another woman."
"You're talking about Dahlia." Bill walked over to he and she moved away.
"Laura, Dahlia Corinth is the Fleet psychiatrist."
"Wait a shrink. You go to a shrink." She started to laugh.
"Yes I do." Bill replied and Laura stopped laughing to look at him. She placed her hands on his chest and then moved them up to wrap around her neck.
"I'm sorry Bill." Laura whispered and Bill wrapped his arms around her waist.
"Sometimes I couldn't talk to you. I needed a stranger to just hear what was happening in my head."
Laura let go of him and smiled. "You don't want to know what was going on in my head when Tory told me that."
"I probably don't." Bill walked over to the couch and patted the seat next to him and Laura walked over to him. Instead of sitting next to him Laura straddled his lap and looked at him.
"What's next week?" Bill asked going back to what she said about the cards.
"Triad night. I play Triad with Racetrack, Athena, and Starbuck." Laura replied and sat further back and Bill put his arms around her waist so she didn't go back to far.
"I didn't now you were so friendly with three of my pilots?"
"Yeah, I've been spending time with them ever since I started to live here." She gestured with her hands indicating his quarters. To tell the truth she liked the Admirals quarters more than the room on Colonial One because he had more space, and well a better bed.
"How about we take that final step?" Laura said. She never thought Adama capable but he picked her up and carried her all the way to his rack where they made love all night.
ONE WEEK LATER TRIAD NIGHT.
Laura looked over her cards and she was holding a very good hand. It was surely to beat Kara this time. She put in a few things and tried to bluff but images of what she and Adama had done that morning kept creeping into her mind and she knew she was blushing.
"You know you never answered the question from last week." Sharon pointed out and then tossed in her black knit long sleeved shirt.
"What question?" Laura tried but they all gave her the 'Don't even try look and she said, "Well he definitely sleeps in the rack now." Then grinned from ear to ear.
"Show 'em if you got 'em." Kara announced and Laura placed her cards on the table.
"Full Colors." Laura said and started to laugh. There was something to be said for having friends. Kara threw her cards on the table and puffed on one of the cigars she managed to pilfer from somewhere.
"How do you get so frakking lucky... Gods it's like I'm playing Baltar all over again." Starbuck groused and then sputtered when Roslin splashed the rest of her drink in Kara's face.
"HA!" Laura laughed and then the others joined in even Kara. Starbuck and Kara were still laughing but Sharon and Racetrack had stopped suddenly when the Admiral walked into the pilot's rec room.
"Laura?"
She turned and smiled saying, "Hey you, come play."
"You're drunk." Bill laughed.
"Not enough."
"Come on. Time to go home." Bill said and walked behind Laura chair pulling it out. She didn't fight him as he helped her out of the chair and back to 'their' quarters. All the while he had to listen to the whistling and cat calls down the hall. 'This is going to be one interesting relationship.' Bill though when they reached home and he had to sit and watch her as she crawled into bed still wearing most of her clothing. Bill sat there for a few minutes before joining her in bed and letting her low breathing lull him into a deep slumber.