Interludes and Encounters 2
Goddess Complex

Disclaimer: All Battlestar Galactica characters and places belong to Moore, Larson and Universal and are used without permission.
Pairing: Laura/Adama, Zarek
Rating: Teen, for language and violence
Archive: Not without permission.
Spoilers: SECOND SEASON through "Home Part 2".

"So what was the plan?" Commander Adama asked in what some would call a light tone, but to Tom Zarek sounded threatening all the same.

After Roslin and the others had left the Tomb of Athena with their tale of a map in the stars and traveling to Earth, the group decided to head back down the mountain to set up camp for the night before starting back to Galleon Meadow. As they trekked back down the trail, they fell into groups. Roslin with her aide; Starbuck and Apollo; Chief Tyrol headed out first, just behind Helo and the Cylon. Zarek found himself pulling up the rear with Adama. Thus far, the man had been silent, for which Zarek was grateful. But then literally out of the blue, he posited this question.

"I'm not sure what you mean, Commander," Zarek said, knowing exactly what the man meant. And he was also very much aware that with all of his men dead (oh yes, this planet demanded its cost in blood), that he was very much alone amongst enemies. A Cylon and the people who held the very authority he deeply wanted to possess. And her: the schoolteacher turned president turned prophet and as he looked up ahead at her now, with the diffuse sunlight firing her hair, she glowed with the power of achievement, of vindication and of righteousness. No longer just prophet, Laura Roslin would become a goddess. Of that, Thomas Zarek was sure.

He stripped off his jacket as the sun finally began to break through the clouds above and streamed fully through the trees.

"Your pal, Meier," the commander elaborated. His rifle was slung across his back but still within easy reach. "I take it the plan was to kill me, kill my son." His voice was pitched low but Tom could hear him through every cell of his being. "Who else? Starbuck? Helo? Everyone but her. Was that the plan?"

"Commander –"

Adama paused and turned to him, blue eyes dark with a rage that was just beneath the surface, despite the quiet rumble of his voice. Zarek halted as well and forced himself to look into those eyes.

"So then once she was all alone," Adama continued, "you'd turn on the charm and wait until she was so desperate and sick that she'd buy your line of bullshit. Was that the plan?"

Was it? Zarek wondered that himself. Before the great Zeus had returned, the plan had seemed sound. Not that he had wished death on the priest, but Elosha's sudden passing wrenched something loose in Laura Roslin. Up until that point he'd never seen the woman rattled, not once. But to see her on her knees weeping … it made him think that maybe it was possible to get closer and the closer he got, the more power he would have. But Apollo had been in the way. If not for Adama's son, Zarek would have been the one with his arms around her as she wept. It could have been him easily.

So, yes, the plan had been to isolate her and to claim her and to use the power she wielded.

But the opportunity was lost when he saw Roslin and Adama talking at camp. There was no screaming, no harsh words, no name calling between them this time. Instead, they sat close to one another, they smiled uncertainly at each other and just like that, the healing began. And this time, Zarek had a strong feeling that there would be nothing that could cleave Adama and Roslin's partnership in two again. Not with them both holding on so tightly.

His entire life he had lived with disappointments and lost opportunities. This was no different. There were always other chances. The election wasn't that far off and if there would be no popular ecclesiastical incumbent in the fray, he had a legitimate chance at victory. He'd waited in prison for 20 years. He could wait a few more months.

Zarek heaved a weary sigh and regarded Adama openly. "You have her back, Commander. Isn't that what you wanted?"

Adama narrowed his eyes and leaned forward menacingly. "Don't think I'll easily forget that you plotted to murder my son," he warned.

"Are you really pissed off for that or for the fact that she came to me when you turned against her?" Zarek deflected. And he supposed that some part of him was completely suicidal because he added, "Despite our differences, I've never treated her with disrespect, Commander. Can you say the same?"

Despite the rain, the ground was hard and Tom Zarek hit it with a sickening crunch. He rolled over and spat out a mouthful of blood and part of one of his teeth.

"What the hell is going on?" Laura Roslin said with alarm as she ran back to join them. She was followed by the others and Tom noted that no one seemed to care that he was lying on the ground bleeding at the feet of a very pissed off William Adama. Guess I know my place, he thought bitterly and levered himself up.

"The commander and I were just talking about you," he said through his swelling lips. He took out a dirty rag and dabbed at his mouth.

Roslin abruptly turned to the others. "Can you all give us a moment, please?"

Apollo raised an eyebrow and looked from his father, who was still seething, to the president then gave a curt nod and led the rest of the group a good distance away. Once they were out of earshot, she turned on both men, gray eyes blazing in the sunlight.

"You both know better," she snapped with irritation. "I will not tolerate you behaving like ridiculous children because your pride is wounded," her eyes flicked to Zarek, "or your ego is bruised." That gaze now levered on the commander. "This is not the time or place. If you want to beat the crap out of each other, you can do it once we're on our way Earth. Until then, keep the testosterone under control, gentlemen."

Adama was still staring at Zarek with murder in his eyes, but he spoke to the president. "You should pick your friends more carefully," he cautioned.

Roslin raised an eyebrow in bemusement. "So I've been told," she murmured dryly. "Nevertheless, I'd like a moment of privacy with Mr. Zarek." When Adama opened his mouth to protest, she raised a hand. "I think we both know that he'd never harm me, Commander. He can't." She turned and met Zarek's eyes with a look of such utter certainty that he had to look away.

"Five minutes," Adama growled and marched away to join the others. Out of the corner of his eye, Zarek could see that he was still watching them.

"You should step carefully around Commander Adama," the president told him. She folded her arms across her chest. "Conspiring to murder his son wasn't the best way to raise you in his estimation." Her eyes hardened. "Or mine."

He could have protested or denied or blamed it all on poor, misguided Meier but there was no point. The one thing he did know and understand with conviction about Laura Roslin was that she was very, very smart. As soon as Meier and the Cylon pulled those guns, all of the pieces would have clicked into place.

On many levels, Tom felt rather stupid because he had thought he'd learned the lesson not to underestimate her.

"So you and the commander kissed and made up and now everything is back to normal?" he asked, his voice pitched low.

A slow smile spread across her lips and she tossed her head a bit to flick the hair out of her eyes. Here on Kobol, out in the wild of the forest, she looked much less the part of president as he'd ever seen her. She belonged to this place somehow. The Goddess of Kobol. All-knowing, all-powerful and completely out of his reach. And Zarek found himself mourning for something he hadn't known he wanted and now would never have.

"You've got a card to play," Roslin said smoothly. She leaned back against the tree behind her and regarded him through her lashes.

Zarek adopted a similar posture against his own tree. "Yes, I do."

"But you won't play it." It wasn't a question. From her mouth, it was part edict, part fact.

He nodded. "There's no point." And that was the absolute truth. Once she returned to the fleet with the direction of Earth and Commander Adama's support, Laura Roslin would be unshakeable in her power. Even the naysayers would have to acknowledge that she had been right about a great many things. Knowledge of her little fling with Adama would drown under that swell of hope. In fact, he suspected that some would even welcome the news.

And she knew that, of course. He could see it all over her face right now. She wasn't being smug, he had to admit. She was just incredibly certain.

She was every inch the all-knowing goddess.

"Can I ask you something?" he inquired.

She nodded her consent.

"Would it have worked?"

Laura's smile was oblique. "Kobol is an interesting place," she said glancing at the trees around her. She looked back up at the Gates of Hera. "It keeps a lot of secrets, so I suppose I could tell you one." She looked back at him and Tom fought to control his pounding heart. "No."

He lifted an eyebrow. "No?"

She shrugged and pushed away from the tree. "Tom, what were you hoping for? That I'd fall for your lies or fall for you?" She didn't stop to wait for his answer. "It wouldn't have worked because for all the charm and all the charisma and for the fact that I truly believe that you believe that you want what is best for our people, as long as I am alive and as long as he is alive, it will always be between us. And even after I'm gone, I know that he will protect what we have preserved together."

Zarek shook his head, not quite believing what he was hearing. "You still trust him that much? He sent Marines after you and locked you up like an animal and you still trust him?"

She gave him a sympathetic smile. "Yes, I do." Her eyes found Commander Adama as he stood with the rest of the group. "I trust him with what's left of my life and more importantly, Tom, I trust him with yours."

Zarek frowned and sighed. He had no doubt that this woman would fight down to her dying breath to keep him from having any real power but she handed Adama, her jailer, the entire fleet on platter. Whatever it was between them, Zarek was sure he would never understand it. He suspected it was foolish to even try.

"Shall we?" he asked, nodding toward the group.

The goddess gave him another half-smile and said, "Yes; it's time to go home."

A/N: Okay, I really needed to wrap up the Zarek stuff from the last story because I'm anal like that and didn't want to leave it hanging. I'm sure, though, he'll be back to stir the shit again at some point. Maybe after the Pegasus fallout has settled. I like the character of Zarek and Richard Hatch has grown on me in the role, so I do hope he's back on the show. If anything, his presence can push Adama and Roslin even closer together.

Regarding the title, my husband asked "Is that Goddess COMplex or Goddess comPLEX?" I've decided that it's both.

Because I needed to wrap that up, I ended up splitting this into two stories covering the time between "Home Part 2" and "Final Cut." Something New brings us back on point.