Billy was surprised to be greeted by Commander Adama in a towel. "Sorry to bother you, Sir. I take it the President isn't still here."
"I'm here, Billy," she said as she appeared behind Adama.
Adama looked over his shoulder at his truly fearless leader, then stepped aside to let Billy in.
Once the hatch was closed, a shocked Billy looked from one of the most powerful people left in existence to the other; both clad in towels. "Madam President, when I said no daylight between you, I didn't mean you had to shower together."
Adama smirked at the boy's complete lack of situational awareness.
Roslin decided to toy with him. "Well, in that case, I'm sorry I intruded on your shower, Commander. On the up side, we did save water."
Billy turned a pleasing shade of reddish pink.
"Why don't you come back for the President in twenty minutes," Commander Adama suggested to be rid of the boy.
"Um, OK, Commander. Sorry for the confusion," he said as he fairly tripped over himself getting out of the hatch as fast as he could manage.
Adama turned to Roslin who was nearly doubled over in laughter. "You really enjoy doing that to him, don't you?" he said before joining her in irrepressible laughter.
"Yes! I know it's terrible, but I can't help it. He's so naïve. It really endears him to me."
He crossed to her, picking up the flight suit along the way. His steps were slow. Glee slipped from the room as he purposely penetrated her personal space. She flashed back to the intense anguish they were sharing before they were interrupted.
Adama pressed the flight suit into her hands without saying anything, holding her stare with his own. Her breathing was shallow. He kept still in the hope she would move her hands to his chest again. The President sensed they were on the precipice of abandon. No matter how much she wanted to lose herself with him, she still couldn't bring herself to tell him how little time she had. Unless he knew, it wouldn't be fair to draw him in.
"I'll go put this on," she whispered in defeat as she broke the spell by looking down at the bundle between them.
As she went in to the bathroom, Adama decided she was interested but not as interested as he was. He sensed something else too, a sadness. Once again, he focused on the maddeningly incurable cancer. His whole life he triumphed in life and death situations. All military leaders who survive to old age have cheated death for themselves and legions of their people. Now he was frustrated to near insanity because he could not find a survival solution for one woman.
He put on a fresh uniform, thinking he would escort her to her shuttle. As he was tying his shoes, she emerged in the flight suit. Looking up at her in the form-hugging uniform made him stop what he was doing and catch his breath.
Feeling like she was in a costume, and a little silly, she smiled when he looked at her with what she took to be polite restraint to not tell her how goofy she looked. She imagined when he quickly looked back down to finish tying his shoe he was just trying to keep from laughing at her.
They heard Billy at the door again and she shored herself up to appear in public in this thing. Adama stole another look at her before letting him in.
"Thank you for the clothes and…everything, Commander," the President said as a means of parting. Though she decided to take the high road, she thought it best not to tempt herself with any more time with Commander Adama than necessary. "Billy can see me back to the shuttle."
Adama wouldn't give up so easily, especially when she looked so alluring. "Billy, don't you think people will get the wrong impression if I don't see the President back to her shuttle? They might think we are already fighting."
"It could be a problem, Ma'am," Billy admitted.
Roslin didn't care as much about public opinion as she did about maintaining peace with the Commander, so she acquiesced. "Thank you again, Commander," she said as she exited the hatch after Billy and in front of Adama. Once the Commander was at her side, he proffered his arm as Billy recommended on their return. The President glanced at Adama and slid her hand into the crook of his arm against her better judgment. As they made their way to the shuttle, crew members came to attention against the walls to make way and show respect…more for their newly recovered Commander than for her, Roslin imagined.
Adama acknowledged them with head nods as they passed. He must have sensed the same suspicion toward the President because he protectively put his right hand over the one she had clasped on his left arm and drew her nearer to him by sliding her hand closer around his arm.
A small crowd waited at the cordon around her shuttle. It was press mixed with off duty crew curious to see how things were playing out in this tenuous reunification. Everyone knew the President and the Commander didn't see eye to eye before the coup against the President and mutiny against the Commander. Most people didn't believe their reconciliation would last long. If it unraveled here, these people wanted to be present to defend their respective champions.
Adama escorted her to the top of the flight stairs where Billy had set up a microphone. She withdrew her hand from Adama's arm and approached it. Billy caught Adama's eye and urged him with a nod to close the space between them as the President addressed the crowd.
"I know things have been bleak for the last few weeks," she began. The Commander quietly moved up behind her. She sensed his proximity and it surprisingly relaxed her. "But I want to assure you, Commander Adama and I now share one, overarching agenda for the fleet: to find Earth. We may still disagree on minor matters, but we are committed to working through those issues together toward the common goal."
Unsure if the crowd believed his CINC's promise, he made an unprecedented move. Adama stepped so close to her that she could feel him behind her. When he actually slid his left hand around her waist she froze. Generally, it was completely against protocol for public leaders to touch like this. After the initial shock, she realized he was trying to graphically back up her statement.
"There will be a press conference tomorrow evening where I will field questions about the way ahead. Thank you," she said with a smile and nod to the crowd. She turned and smiled at the Commander and it dawned on her that how they parted this first time would be very important. He shared her thought. The Commander saluted her which she automatically returned. Then he offered his hand intending to give an obviously hearty shake. She took his hand but escalated by leaning forward and kissing him on the cheek mid-handshake. In a moment of uncharacteristic weakness, Adama wrapped his free arm around her and pulled her to him in a politically taboo embrace. The crowd loved it, applauding and whistling their approval.
Unable to resist, she returned the embrace. Though the crowd was reassured, the President lost faith in her ability to keep from getting so close to this man that her impending death would be traumatic for him. After a few self-indulgent moments of leaning on him, she pulled back. They shared an intimate smile at the barriers they just broke. She turned back to the crowd, waved and boarded the shuttle. If she would have stayed a second longer, she was afraid she would ask him to take her back to his quarters.