Title: Until Then
Disclaimer: All Battlestar Galactica characters and places belong to Moore, Larson and Universal and are used without permission.
Pairing: Roslin/Adama
Rating: PG
Series: Interludes and Encounters; follow up to "Not a Friend", "Salutations", and "Soft Touch."
Spoilers: 6 Degrees of Separation. This takes place during and just before the very end of the episode.

A/N: I wrote this after I saw "6 Degrees of Separation" but I wasn't happy with it until after I saw "Flesh and Bone". I realize that with this series I'm treading on dangerous territory because of the events in the show. I'm trying very hard to write plausible scenarios for this relationship that fits into the actual episodes. Thus far, I've been using the episodes as a guide for where to take this (part of the reason why they haven't hit the sheets yet). For those of you who know what's coming up, yes, I have been spoiled for eps 12 and 13, so I do know the road will get bumpy, but I've actually already started writing a sketch of that forthcoming angst-o-rama. Enjoy this one.


"Madame President?" Billy said cautiously, "Commander Adama is on the line again and uh, ma'am, he says if you don't take the call this time, he's coming over."

Laura Roslin sighed heavily and pushed herself into a sitting position. Truthfully, she hadn't been avoiding the commander. The shot Cottle had given her had made her nauseous and overheated. Right now, all she wanted to do was rest before she had to lever herself up and perform for the press to prove that she was alive and in command of her faculties. She hadn't been taking anyone's calls, not just his.

Still, she supposed he wanted an explanation of what had happened and she hated to admit it but she probably did owe him one, so she told Billy to send the call through.

Laura took a sip of water and a deep breath before she picked up the phone. "What can I do for you, Commander?"

"You been avoiding me?" he asked gruffly.

"Not at all, Commander. As you may have heard, I've been indisposed."

"Collapsed?" His voice was softer this time. "Are you alright?"

She smiled a little at his obvious concern. "Major Cottle has put me back together again. I'm fine."

"Cause?"

Something deep inside of her wanted to tell this man the truth. It was a part of her that was so tired and weak from fighting alone. He was strong. Couldn't she let him carry her just for a little while? Just for a moment.

But it was the President who spoke and presidents couldn't afford to be tired and weak.

"Stomach flu," she said.

Adama was quiet for a long, long moment on the line until finally he said, "One day and it will be soon, you're going to tell me the truth about this, Laura."

She felt as if all the air were sucked forcibly out of her lungs. She didn't know if it was the hurt in his tone, the soft demand in his voice, or the fact that he had used her name for the first time since she'd known him but she suddenly felt flattened.

Swallowing heavily, she struggled to find something to say and was relieved when he spoke again.

"I'll let you rest."

"Thank you, Commander," she choked out.

"Madame President." The line went dead and with a shaking hand she replaced the receiver in the cradle.

She put both hands on her sweaty face and willed herself to keep it together. Her stomach was roiling, so she sunk down into the cushions.

Laura hated this. She felt sick and stupid and angry with herself for overdosing in the first place. She didn't know what made her do it, except that at the time she wanted so desperately to be well. Everyday, she tried not to think about dying but everyday, death was around her. She stared at the whiteboard with ever-more diminishing hope each time she or Billy subtracted two or three or ten …

She wanted to be strong for them, to give them something to live for. Adama had been right about that; it wasn't good enough to just exist. She knew that herself, because while she fought to beat the cancer, she knew she wasn't doing it only to survive. Laura fought to live because she felt that the people needed her.

A knock at the door made her look up. Captain Apollo came through the curtains with an uncertain look on his face.

"Madame President?" he said walking slowly toward her "bed". "I came as soon as I could. Are you alright?"

Despite her initial annoyance at being bothered again, she smiled. "I'm doing okay," she told him softly. She put her head back down on the pillows. "I was stupid. I took too many pills."

Lee sat down in the chair near the bed. "But is everything okay now? You're not… worse or anything, right?"

Laura smiled and reached for his hand. She squeezed his fingers when he gave it. "I'm okay, Captain Apollo."

He looked relieved and held her hand tightly for a brief second before releasing it. "Have you talked to my father?" he asked.

"Ah, yes, just before you came."

"He was upset when he heard you'd passed out," Lee said frowning. "He doesn't know about the – about your illness and I think he was worried."

The President smiled. "Probably because without me, he'd have to deal with the civilians on his own."

Lee chuckled. "That's probably it, ma'am." After a moment, his smile faded.

"Is there something else, Captain Apollo?"

The pilot frowned again and seemed to be considering something. Finally, he said, "Madame President, I think you should tell my father the truth."

Taken aback, Laura sat up. She breathed deeply against the nausea. "Why?"

"Because, ma'am, I think he could help you," Apollo said carefully. "You could lean on him if you needed to –"

"No," Laura said emphatically.

"Madame President, if you'd only reconsider," Lee pushed. "If the commander knew, he might be more reasonable –"

"What is it about 'no' did you not understand, Captain Adama?" Laura's words were slow, deliberate and cold as space. "I will not have anyone pity me, least of all that man." She felt as if her spine were on fire and it fueled her anger.

And her fear. It all came back to her fear.

There were many reasons why she didn't tell the commander about the cancer. At first, it had been because he was an adversary and she couldn't trust him not to use it against her in some way. But now, having gotten to know the man a bit and understanding his sense of honor, she knew that he wouldn't do that. He would find it beneath his standards. Now, she had to admit that the primary reason why she didn't want him to find out was because of the attraction between them. Would he still want her if he knew that she was sick? Would his eyes burn for her body if he knew that her breasts were defective? The thing that was between them might never come to anything but while it lasted, it felt good. In the middle of everything, this man desired her. Would he even want to touch her at all if he knew that she'd probably be dead inside of a year?

Wanting to be alone, she dismissed Apollo.

"Madame President –"

"You are dismissed, Captain!" It wasn't a scream but it held all the authority she could muster at the moment.

And it was enough. Apollo stood and saluted briskly before leaving as quickly as he could.

After he'd gone, Laura once again sunk back into the pillows. When the tears came, she didn't have the energy to fight them.


The next day, the President and Commander sat in her private room going over the latest set of reports. He'd insisted on having the meeting on Colonial One despite the fact that she was feeling quite good. Not wanting to argue, she'd given in and they'd set about discussing their business. When they got to the topic of Baltar's exoneration, the President frowned.

"You're not sure if he is completely innocent, are you?" Adama asked carefully.

She put her head back on the cushions and looked up at the ceiling. "You know, I don't know how to explain it –" She sighed.

"Try."

She raised her head to look at him. "It's a feeling. I have a feeling that there is something that he's hiding. I don't believe that he conspired with the Cylons willingly or knowingly but I know that he was involved somehow."

Adama stared at her as he considered this. Then he let out a long breath. "Well, the evidence now says differently."

"I know," she said with a shrug.

"Conveniently," he added. "This whole thing with Shelley Godfrey, all of it has been very convenient."

"Yeah," Laura agreed. "Shelley Godfrey … what made you suspect her all of a sudden? I thought that was odd when I read the report."

Adama frowned and cleared his throat. "All of it was suspicious," he evaded.

Eyes narrowing, Laura Roslin smelled an obfuscation. Interesting. She'd never known him to avoid any subject. In fact, he seemed almost embarrassed.

Containing her sudden glee, Laura fought hard not to grin.

"Yes, but after you met with her privately, you seemed to immediately suspect her," she said lightly. "It just seems a little odd."

Looking uncomfortable, Adama stood and turned to gaze out the window. "She… kissed me," he reported in a tight voice.

Laura's eyes widened in surprise. Of all the things he could have said, she hadn't been expecting this.

"Kissed you?"

"Yes."

"On the mouth?"

He turned and looked at her with irritation. "On the mouth."

Laura wasn't sure what to say to that. Her mind had immediately started picturing it, though. The leggy Miss Godfrey pressing her lips to the Commander's … And how far did it go? Did he immediately push her away and call in the Marines or did he respond to her? Had he wrapped his arms around the tall blonde and pressed his body to hers? Laura wasn't sure if she liked the way that image made her feel.

Because it felt very much like jealousy and under the circumstances, she had absolutely no right to feel it.

"Uh, well," she said quietly, reining in her wayward thoughts. "She kissed you. And you suspected her after that?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because she kissed me."

Laura let out a laugh. "Commander, if you suspect every woman who finds you attractive then I guess I'm lucky you haven't had me arrested."

As soon as she said it, she cringed because with her careless comment, she'd brought "it" back.

The air was thicker now than it had been just a moment before. His eyes had darkened as he turned to face her and her heart had begun that now familiar pounding that occurred so often in his presence.

Laura stood and crossed her arms in front of her. "And did you like Miss Godfrey's kiss?" she asked casually. Might as well, she reasoned.

Adama smiled a little as he walked slowly toward her. "Actually," he began, "it didn't do it for me."

The president's eyebrow rose. "Ah, and, um, what was wrong with it?" She tried not to sound as breathless as she felt as he stopped almost within her personal space.

But all those efforts disappeared on his next words. "She wasn't you," he said simply and grinned at Laura's surprised gasp. He reached out and touched her hair with two fingers. "I'm going to go now."

"Why?" she blurted out inelegantly. Her cheeks colored.

Still rubbing her hair between his fingers, he looked deeply into her eyes. "Because you make me breathless." His fingers left her hair. "And because you've got a press conference in five minutes."

Her eyes widened. She checked her watch. "Damn!" She hadn't realized it had gotten that late. She pulled on her jacket and turned to check her reflection in the mirror. Satisfied, she turned back to him. "Sorry."

"Don't be."

She offered him her hand. "We don't have great timing."

He squeezed her fingers. "We will one day."

Laura smiled.

Holding her eyes, he raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly.

"Until then, Madame President."

Blushing furiously again, Laura swallowed hard. "Until then, Commander."


End. For now.