Chapter 28 - Yes

To say the Quorum was unhappy with her newly found domestic bliss would be an under-statement. All in all Laura had to admit that it went better than she had expected, but that wasn't saying much.

As she made her way down the hall she had to dig deep to fight the urge to turn and run the other way. Press conferences were a pain on a good day…. And this was anything but.

The room was already buzzing with excitement as she came to the podium. They could smell blood, and they had already begun to circle.

"Good Afternoon." She said. "Before we get underway, I'd like to thank everyone for coming and extend my apologies for the delay."

One of the reporters in the back of the room led things off with the obvious question. "Madame President. Today's Quorum meeting took much longer than usual. Is there a specific issue or concern that monopolized the agenda today?"

"Easy Laura" she told herself. "No need to show your hand too soon… Let's ease into this one…"

With carefully crafted words Laura proceeded to fill them in on the items covered in their meeting. "Today's meeting went long for a number of reasons. The first being that it was the first face-to-face meeting we've had since the Tillium Mission and we had many items to cover."

"Madame President, what are the details pertaining to the Tillium Mission?"

"There are a lot of details regarding the mission Mr. Hamilton, can you be a little more specific?"

"Well, essentially I believe the biggest question is how much did we get?"

Laura smiled. It was hard not to smile considering how close they came to running out of fuel completely. "I am very pleased to say that we have enough fuel to carry us over the next two and a half, possibly three years, depending on how responsible we chose to be with our fuel consumption."

"When you say 'how responsible we chose to be' exactly what do you mean?"

"Well, while there are activities and functions of the fleet that we cannot avoid… like military operations, FTL jumps, and basic day-to-day functions, there are many things that we will be asking the public to be more conservative with. These things will include ship-to-ship travel, keeping thermostats at a reasonable setting, water conversation etc."

Several voices erupted at the same time with follow-up questions to this statement. Laura motioned to them to settle down before she proceeded.

"Yes.. Chloe, go ahead."

Chloe Garrison of the Rising Star took a small step forward "Madame President. Does this mean that the restrictions that had been put on ship-to-ship travel will remain in effect?"

"No." Laura replied. "At this time there are no restrictions with regards to ship-to-ship travel. We are however, asking the people of the fleet to use better judgment when travelling. "

"Madam President, there are several crazy rumors out there as to why you've decided to move to Galactica. Is fuel conservation the reason you've made Galactica your residence now?"

Laura emitted a light laugh. "Several Crazy Rumors? Like what?" She wanted to kick herself the instant the she asked the question.

"Well" Chloe said. "Some believe it is health related, it's been implied in some circles that there's a conflict with someone on Colonial one, and then there's absolute ridiculous one that you have moved in the Admiral." She said with chuckle.

Laura never changed her expression as she asked. "What's so ridiculous about that?"

Chloe's face lost all expression as she looked at the President. "Well… ummmm." As she struggled to find the right words another reporter jumped in.

"Madame President. It's not that it's ridiculous so much as it's just not a possibility that any of us have even considered before."

"Well perhaps you should consider it now."

The entire room went silent. For several moments the only sounds that could be heard was the ticking of the clock on the wall. As Laura assessed the crowd of people before her she was greeted by confused looks and gaping jaws. The sound of her clearing her throat seemed to snap a few of them out of it.

Sekou Hamilton, a well-known journalist from New Caprica, finally broke the silence. "Madame President, are you saying that you are now living with Admiral Adama?"

"Yes, Bill and I have decided that it would be best if I moved in with him."

"Why?" he asked.

"Why?" Laura responded, slightly annoyed by the question. "Oh Come on people" she thought. "Follow the little bouncing ball… put two and two together…."

"I'm sorry Madame President, perhaps I should elaborate on my question. In what capacity are you taking residence with the Admiral? Are you personally involved with the Admiral?"

And there it was. "Finally! Someone finally had the stones to ask the Gods Damn question." Laura thought.

"Yes I am." She stated. Before the room could erupt she motioned to them to settle down and elaborated further. "Bill and I have been in a relationship for quite some time. We have kept our relationship under wraps and have remained very discrete for many reasons. The main reason, being our desire to maintain some level of normalcy in our lives. This has not been easy for us."

Laura removed her glasses, carefully folded them, and placed them on the podium. Her eyes remained focused on her spectacles for a moment before reinitiating contact with the people before her. "Like all normal relationships we simply wish to build a life together which is why I have moved to Galactica. "

She paused briefly before clearly stating. "While I can appreciate your quest for answers please bear in mind that this is a very personal matter and I will not tolerate inappropriate remarks or questions."

The room erupted. Questions were flying from every direction. Tori moved forward and stepped before the podium.

"One at a time please." She stated in a calm and controlled manner.

It was as though she wasn't even there. The reporters pressed on hurling questions and remarks at Laura in a desperate effort to get the scoop.

"HEY!" Tori yelled.

Much to her surprise a hush swept across the room as all eyes became fixed on her. "One at a time." She stated.

She then took control of the press conference as she acknowledged the first reporter and directed her to go ahead and ask her question.

"Madame President. How long have you and the Admiral been engaged in this secret affair?"

Laura groaned inwardly "Really? Secret Affair? Could you not come up with a better term than that?" she thought.

Looking the reporter in the eye Laura simply stated. "Bill and I have been together since he fell ill some time ago."

"Why have you been hiding it?"

"Our discretion has been in an effort to protect our privacy."

The standard questions were asked one by one. And as she did in the Quorum meeting she addressed each one with complete and total honesty.

Relentlessly they pounded her with question after question. Laura was growing weary. She took a drink from the glass in front of her and then placed it back on the podium. When she looked up again she saw him, quietly slipping into the back of the room. The sparkle in his eyes and the warmth in his smile was enough to warm her chilling bones. Looking at him in that moment she recalled every single reason she'd fallen in love with him.

A tiny smile came across her face as he gave her a "Go Get em" wink before quickly slipping back out undetected.

"Ok folks, one last question and then let's wrap it up" Tori instructed.

"Madame President. You claim there's no need for concern but how can we be sure that your relationship will not cause a serious conflict of interest down the road?"

"You can be sure, Mr. Hamilton, because Admiral Adama and I are professionals. We are fully aware of how important our roles are and painfully aware of what might happen if we fail to do them. As for conflict… there's conflict on a regular basis in our jobs. We've handled it in the past and we will handle it in the future."

A reporter from the back of the room shouted out. "Madame President! With the head of the Military and the head of Government now living together, where is the line?"

"I'm sorry?" Laura leaned slightly forward, her hands planted firmly on the podium. "I'm not sure I understand what you're asking. Ms… ? I'm sorry what's your name?"

"Kelly." Stated the reporter "Kelly O'Gallagher. What I'm asking is how close to a state of Militarism have we become? Admiral Adama, who attempted a military coup only a few years ago, now has the President of the Twelve Colonies living with him. How much closer to total control can he get?"

You learn early in politics to keep your cool. It's very much like being in show business. To the public you are simply playing a role, wearing a mask, spinning things, doing things, always keeping in mind how it will affect popular opinion. Laura was exceptionally good at it. She knew which way to turn, how to look, how to speak…. She rarely faltered. But even Laura Roslin had her limits.

"How DARE you question his integrity."

Laura's gaze bore through the young lady at the back of the room as she continued. "William Adama has given everything to this fleet. He was never faltered and he has never failed us. He has defied the odds time and time again and found a way to keep us all alive. Each and every soul that has been lost since our journey began has taken its toll on him. He loses a piece of his heart every time a life is lost as he somehow believes he has failed to protect that soul. "

Laura closed her eyes for a slip second and refocused on the crowd before her. "He has nearly lost his life on more than one occasion protection this fleet and he would gladly trade it right now if it meant finding this fleet a home. William Adama is the most dedicated patriot I've ever met and your implications are not only disrespectful to him, they are insulting to both of us."

Laura's gaze then shifted from the young lady at the back of the room to the entire press corps. "There are 46, 103 of us left. FOURTY SIX THOUSAND, ONE HUNDRED AND THREE. We have all been through so much. So much loss, so much pain, so much suffering…. Yet we prevail. We prevail because the human spirit is so incredible and our capacity to love is unlimited. So why is it I ask, that you expect your leaders to be less than human? None of you have the right to expect that of us. None of you have the right to deny us love. So I stand here as your President and I will tell you this once and ONLY once. My relationship with Bill is private. It is not up for discussion or scrutiny by the press, the courts, or the people. It is a personal matter that will remain so. If that is not acceptable then you might as well call for my resignation right now. But as I have already stated today, you will not get it without a fight."

Silence lay over the room like a heavy blanket. As the shock wore off a reporter from the back of the room found the courage to ask another question.

"And what if the people call for the resignation of the Admiral?"

Laura didn't bat an eyelash. Without thinking, without analyzing, without any sort of political calculation whatsoever she responded from her gut. "If William Adama were to step down as leader of the military that defends our fleet… I truly believe it would be the end of us all."

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He was waiting for her outside the pressroom. The dark circles under her eyes, and the slight slump in her shoulders told him she'd had enough for one day. No longer concerned with prying eyes he gently placed an arm around her waist as they tried to make their way toward home.

The press, at the sight of Bill, converged on them like a pack of hungry wolves. "Admiral do you have any comments?"

"Does the Military have a statement prepared?"

Laura's guards built a human gate around them as they pushed their way through the crowd and down the hall.

Finally in the safety of their quarters Laura let out a sigh of relief. "Well… that went really well."

Bill simply laughed at her statement as he gave her a gentle hug and kissed her temple.

"No." she said. "I'm serious. That went much smoother than I had anticipated. "

"Good Gods woman, what were expecting? A lynch mob?"

"Pretty much." She said.

Once again he could do nothing but laugh at her. "So what now?" he asked.

"Well, for one thing they are not going to leave you alone until you make a statement."

"What kind of statement?"

"Any kind. Bill, just have a few words prepared. The next time they corner you just give them their sound bite and then we can move on."

"How about I just fly a Raptor over the observation deck pulling a banner that says "I love my President" he said jokingly.

"Yeah!" she said sarcastically. "Better yet, how about Vote for Roslin… I did!"

"OR… " he added "… Marry Me Laura." The instant the words left his mouth he could feel the mood shift.

An uncomfortable silence filled the space between them. "Oh my Gods." she thought to herself. "Was he joking?... Do I laugh?... What if it wasn't a joke…"

Not knowing what to say she simply stood there with a stupid smile on her face.

"Don't worry Laura." He said. "I would never do that to you. Besides… " he planted a playful kiss to the top of her head "… I've always envisioned my asking you with a little more class than that."

Relieved that the awkward moment had passed she was more than happy to partake in a little playful banter. "So… you envisioned it have you?" she asked teasingly.

Bill gave her a shy smile as his complexion took on a rosy hue "Maybe a time or two."

"Just a time or two?" she asked

"Or three… or four" he admitted. "Maybe I think about it all the time." He added.

"Really!" she teased.

"Really." He confirmed. "Laura, I'd ask you to marry me tomorrow if I thought you'd say yes."

"What makes you think I won't?" she asked.

And there it was… that heavy silence again. Their eyes locked as he took in her mischievous glimmer. "Laura…. " his response was cut short by a knock on the hatch. As instructed, the guards let Tori in immediately.

"Good afternoon Admiral… Madame President" she said nodding at Laura.

"Good afternoon Tori." Laura answered.

Looking at Laura she jumped right into it "Are you as pleased about the press conference as I am?" she asked with heightened energy.

"I think it went very well Tori, Yes, I'm very pleased."

As Bill stood aside listening to them he couldn't help but laugh out loud. As both women turned to him with questioning looks he just shook his head. "I'll never understand the way you politician types think." He said.

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That night as they lay cradled in each other's arms, her body still tingling from their making love she whispered. "I'd definitely say 'Yes'"