TITLE: THE LETTER
Disclaimer: Not mine
Authors:AmandaC /LauraC /VRyan
Summary:A Love Letter Sparks Major Problems for more than the President (Sequel to: The Measure of a Man)
Spoilers:None
Pairings:Laura Roslin / William Adama
Word Count:8409 Words
Laura surveyed the envelope with equal measures of delight and suspicion. It smelled musky and yet sweet like some long lost flower. She opened it slowly taking care not to rip the envelope or damage its contents.
She tried, but failed to suppress a grin as she read its words.
"You light up my life. You give me strength to carry on. You fill my dreams and make me whole again. I was lost in a pit of self loathing and denial, functioning on instinct having forgotten what it felt like to feel something, anything. You came into my life and changed all of that just by your presence. Thank you for being you. All my love…………………."
What a Day, what a week. She had learned an alien language reached a very decent armistice with Commander Adama, who was incidentally being very sweet to her. She mused it was probably sympathy with her having cancer. Then there was the fact that she had sorted out her little disagreement with Wally Gray. And to really make her day she had received what could only be described as a love letter from an anonymous source.
She surveyed the hand writing it was neat, professional the wording of the letter though brief was extremely eloquent. Whoever wrote this piece of prose she thought was well educated and intelligent he had great command of the English language, assuming it was a he. His grammar needed some work, being a school teacher by qualification Laura had spotted the error's though small straight away.
"Wow", she thought as she folded the sweet smelling piece of paper and placed back into its envelope. She smiled as she placed it with the other documents she had received from the Galactica. Having studied the physical evidence for clues and finding none, Laura decided to focus on the way it was written if only to get a clue as to the kind of person penned it. Remembering the words she tried to piece together what little personal information was in evidence in her mind and in the end she had to acknowledge though only to herself that she had no idea who could have written it.
Laura didn't deal with many men, aside from a select few from the Galactica, there was only Billy Keikeya, her right hand man and she doubted the note came from him and it certainly didn't come from Wally Gray she knew Wally's writing and this wasn't it. This mystery such as it was would have to be re solved, she had to know who her secret admirer was. Laura tapped her fingers on her desk trying desperately to think who it could be. She listed the suspects in her mind, the list was short.
"Lee Adama", Laura spoke his name out loud, possibly. She wasn't sure, time would tell.
"Colonel Tigh", she laughed as she spoke his name. 'Don't think so".
"Kara Thrace", "what" she went to delete that thought from her head but then it could have been sent as a joke to wind her up. But no, "that's more Tom Zarek's style. "Oh frakk no", she felt nauseous at the thought of Zarek being in love with her. The investigation would have to continue after her meeting with the Commander.
"Commander Adama", "gods", she had never thought to include him on the list of suspects. She had to acknowledge the fact that he was being well decent to her of late. "Interesting", she picked up a small bunch of papers from the opposite side of her desk, removed her jacket from the back of her chair, flicked her hair back behind her ears and left her quarters/office leaving thoughts of her secret admirer behind her…………………………………………………………………
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Twenty minutes later she waltzed cheerfully through several of Galactica's corridors speaking to a few of the ships personnel as she went, arriving finally and entering the Ward Room. She was greeted by a less than amused looking William Adama. In fact the Commander looked like a man who was seriously pissed off about something, what she didn't know as of yet. But Laura had a feeling she would do and shortly.
"Madam President", Adama didn't smile as he spoke.
"Commander Adama".
"We've gotta problem".
Laura smiled that's it, what she liked about him he is totally straight up he gives it that way and takes it that way.
"Let's have it then Commander".
"I received a document this morning and I thought you should be made aware of its contents".
"I am, as they say all ears", Laura remembered her letter from that morning allowing its words to drift unbidden into her minds eye.
"We've received a threat of sorts, you want to read it".
"Commander I have spent most of the morning shuffling through paperwork would you mind paraphrasing it for me please".
"Basically and this is the shorthand version. The author believes you are an alien conspirator. Whoever wrote it knows you have recently been in contact with an alien species and that you have learned to speak their language".
"What, How", Laura's mouth remained slightly ajar as Adama's words began to hit home.
"I'm getting to the good bit now Madam President. You're going to love this. He/she suggests we throw you out an airlock at the earliest convenient moment bla bla and so on goes into a rant about politics and the new era then".
"Commander, you have a very questionable sense of humour".
"It's no joke Laura".
"William it's someone pulling both our legs. Who else knows about the message we received from the aliens and more importantly the fact that I translated it?".
"The Colonel, Lt Gaeta and Dee".
"There you go your suspects. I have been down this road once today you know Commander and it was interesting to say the least".
"Madam President I think we should be taking this seriously. You have had several death threats and although I've tightened your security I'm still concerned".
"What? In case this nut job decides to what? Um! chuck me out the airlock himself", Laura couldn't help herself she started to laugh. It was preposterous she hadn't let it slip not even to Billy and she knew Adama was the soul of discretion.
But he wasn't laughing not even the hint of a smile crossed his lips and his blue eyes held a tight line. She wasn't going to let Mr Cranky Boots Adama ruin her good humour. It wasn't everyday she got an uplifting love letter and regardless of its source it had brightened her spirits.
"William, give me a break hah. Don't you think there's enough crap going on around here without taking some stupid joke too seriously".
"I hope you are right about it being a joke, but I doubt it. I'd take this particular threat seriously Laura", he handed her the aforementioned document. Laura took it from him and began to read it. Talk about raining on one's parade that did it yep frakked up her otherwise cheerful good mood.
"Now I know why you looked like a wet week when I walked in here".
"Well at least I'm readable".
"Meaning what exactly? That I'm not". Laura grimaced her nostrils flaring in indignation she re-read the last paragraph of the document and continued. "Yep, typical male response in this situation. Your problem Adama is to hell with it are we done here or what?". Then she read the small print at the bottom and threw it across the table at him.
Adama started to laugh. Laura watched him his blue eyes lit up when he laughed. Those same blue eyes were so brilliantly reflected in his son also. He had slight dimples, very slight. She had never really looked at him too closely. Most of the time they were fighting the only personal conversations they'd had were in relation to her illness. She had to admit, he was quite a good looking man, yep definitely attractive, but a big massive pain in the ass and that was one hell of a big but.
"Laura it took some work you are not a very easy woman to wind up", he spoke in between bouts of laughter.
"And your an asshole Commander that's just great 'throw her out the airlock signed Saul Tigh', what did you pair of monkeys plan this little wind up? Sat around, laughing at the thought of winding the President of the Twelve Colonies up. William Adama that's very grown up of ya you know".
"I know, couldn't help it. Drafting Saul in was the easy part".
Try as she was, she couldn't stay angry at him she never could. Maybe on occasion a little, but then he would do or say something and her anger would evaporate.
"Wind up aside, what did you ask me to come over for".
"A side from your company".
"Oh! Yea".
"I need your signature on a couple of documents I want to send fleet wide".
Laura looked at him suspiciously; she wondered what he was up to this time. He pulled two pieces of paper from beneath a pile on the desk and handed them to her. She read the first and signed the bottom. Started to read the second and stopped just as she reached the bottom part which was hand written. 'Frakk' she thought as she read, "Commander, whose hand writing is this?" she smiled before continuing "It's quite neat".
"It's mine Madam President and thank you for the compliment".
"I see".
"Some water?".
"Yes thank you".
She now knew who wrote The Letter to her what she didn't know was if it was part of the wind up. She hoped in a small way that it wasn't that the words were his and the piece of paper had arrived on her desk by accident. She suspected she would never know for sure well its not like she could turn around and ask her military leader 'hey did you by any chance write me a nice sweet itty bitty little love letter just wondering. Coz truth be told it brightened my otherwise dull day. Never knew you felt that way about me'. Food for thought yes she had lashings of that now.
She sat in relative silence observing him listening to his words and all the while wondering, pondering. Yes he wrote the letter but did he mean it? Does he know she's got it? Was it meant for her? In finding her answer to one question she was left with many more which would remain unanswered ……………………………………..
The End (For Now)