Usually a workaholic, Commander Adama turned his duties over to the XO this evening. In the few days since they'd been back, his concern over the President's health increased. Though she seemed comfortable with their necessary public closeness, she seemed anxious whenever he got too close to her in private. He likened it to a wounded animal not wanting anyone to touch it. Or, maybe he was wrong before. She wasn't interested in him at all.

Until tonight, he'd been content to lose himself in work, give her some space and research every possible cure for cancer that had ever been conceived. Tonight, she returned his book. Military commanders were trained to look for signs of suicidal intent. Giving away and returning precious things was one of them. He didn't think she intended to kill herself, but she seemed to be preparing for death. If he couldn't miraculously offer her some hope soon, he'd have to ask the question he dreaded; how long did she…how long did they have?

On Colonial One, Laura Roslin faced the fact that she was in for another rough night. As she eyed her bed with disdain, she admitted to herself the last time she slept through the night was in the woods with the Commander. If she'd known him years ago, would she have gone to the doctors for tests like she should have? It seemed ironic that when she didn't have much to live for, she could have saved herself. Now that she had so much to live for, she could not do a thing to save herself.

As she drew closer to the Commander, it became painful to withhold her agony from him. Despite her intent to keep away from him, they ended up spending more time together than ever out of necessity. There were a lot of messes to clean up in the wake of Tigh's rule and the scattering of the fleet. They were also overseeing the work of their planners and logisticians who were engineering a way to get the fleet to Earth now that the President and the Commander delivered some starting points.

Then Admiral Cain appeared.

The President wouldn't admit it, but she was disappointed that the Admiral outranked her Commander for more reasons than just having "been through a lot" with him. She trusted him to see the fleet through to Earth after she died. The Admiral's agenda seemed bent on destruction of the Cylons. Roslin still felt that strategy would mean the death of the fleet before the death of the Cylons.

The more she learned about the Admiral, the more she liked Commander Adama by comparison. It seemed like a century ago that she thought he might be a Cylon. Now, her misgivings about Admiral Cain and the Commander's frustration with the Admiral's tactics drew the President and the Commander very close together.

Laura didn't have time to win the Admiral over the way she'd won Adama's respect and trust. Her only hope was to work with the Commander to get around her. Though Commander Adama assured her he would make some headway with the Admiral once she eventually learned to trust him, the President sensed there would instead be a violent confrontation. If that happened, she hoped the majority of the fleet, maybe even some of Cain's captains, would follow Adama.

One late night in her chambers, she recorded a message to both fleets beseeching them to follow Commander Adama to Earth should they have to choose between him and Admiral Cain. She took Billy into her confidence, asking him to disperse the message, if it came to that, after her death.

She also confided in Apollo with the same instructions as a fail safe. Unlike his father, Apollo summoned the courage to ask her about her most private issue. For a few moments, she debated whether to tell him. Their unique bond, however, made her answer him truthfully. She only had weeks to live, at best.

Apollo was visibly shaken but he managed to keep from crying, just barely. Instead, he embraced her and she let him hold her for a few minutes. He left the room in silence because he could not speak. Once he was alone, in the dark, he shed his tears for lost hope into his pillow.

These things left the President exhausted. Why, then, she wondered, couldn't she sleep? As she turned down the sheets on her bed, the answer came unbidden. Ever since that night in the woods, the longing for him to hold her through the night overcame any comfort she took in lying down. Truthfully, she wanted more than to be held but didn't have any hope of even that happening in the short time she had left.

When Admiral Cain summoned Commander Adama at an ungodly hour, he assumed it had to do with the courts martial at hand. Maybe she was finally going to at least seek his counsel if not have him attend. He dressed as quickly as possible and reported as ordered. Not one to mince words, as soon as the door closed behind him, the Admiral asked him point blank, "Are you having sex with the President?"

Adama was shocked into silence. He recovered enough to maintain his cool outwardly but his blood boiled. "Admiral, I don't see…"

"So, it's true."

"No! I am not sleeping with the President!" he blurted angrily. "I don't know who told you that, or why you care for that matter, but it's a lie."

"Alright. I believe you. No need to be so sensitive about it…unless," she eyed him like a lioness considering potential prey.

Adama stiffened under her scrutiny.

"You're not…holy clusterfrak, Bill…I don't mean to insult you, but you're not in love with her, are you?"

Obviously, the Admiral would regard him as a fool if he answered affirmatively. He wasn't sure if she held love in general in contempt or specifically President Roslin. "I fail to see the point of this," he growled.

Helena Cain's eyes narrowed. "Just answer the question, Commander. Do you love Laura Roslin?"

If ever he wished he weren't in the military, it was now. He could not lie to a superior officer without breaking his officer's oath and the code of conduct. He would not be the Lancelot in Caprica's realm.

"Yes," he hissed. He was admitting it to himself as much as to her.

The Admiral closed her eyes at the news of how much this legendary commander had lost his way. "Does she say she's in love with you?"

"No."

"Does she know you're in love with her?"

"No."

Relieved, the Admiral opened her eyes. "Well, keep it that way. If she weren't terminal, I'd have to remove you from command. I'll allow you to retain command since you've at least used some discretion, as long as you maintain it until she dies. I can't have you subject to undue influence from such a dangerous woman. In Zeus's name, Commander! You should have stayed away from her just because she's a politician, but this woman incited a mutiny."

Seething, Commander Adama forced himself to be a frozen fire. If he lashed out at her now, she'd take away what little power he had left to protect the fleet…and the President. If Tigh was right, she might even kill him on the spot.

"Do we have anything more specific than 'months' for when she'll die?" the Admiral asked as nonchalantly as if she asked for a weather report.

Unknowing and uncaring, the Admiral just twisted the knife that slowly tore through Adama's heart ever since he read the press report where the President admitted she was dying of cancer and only had months to live. He had to get out of this room before he put his hands to her throat. "I'll go find out," he spat out as he stormed from the room.

The next day, after their meeting with the planners and the loggies, Commander Adama asked the President if she would come back to his quarters to discuss another issue. She agreed, wondering what was bothering him. Though the captains and lieutenants had optimistic leads at the meeting, Adama's brow remained furrowed and he seemed distracted. News of the courts martial reached her so she concluded he might want her advice on what to do though she had no power in the military justice proceedings.

Adama handed her a glass of water as she settled on his now familiar couch. He couldn't bring himself to sit next to her given what he had to ask her. "Madam President, I'll understand if you won't tell me, but I've got to ask you something personal."

Her stomach knotted. They stared at each other for several eternal moments.

"How long do you have?" was all he could manage in a gruff whisper.

Laura Roslin looked down at the glass in her hand. She was thankful it wasn't shaking. Still, she could not look back up at him. "I…um…one or two weeks," she said quietly.

Adama said nothing at all. She expected at least some expression of regret or solace out of him. It hurt her that he was so callous as she laid herself bare. Anger steeled her to look up into his eyes.

Tears were streaming out of them.

"I wish I didn't love you so much," he choked out.

Now matching tears came from her eyes. "I don't regret loving you at all," she said as she smiled at him beneath her tears.

Her glass smashed on the deck as he pulled her up to him and kissed her with all the passion he'd held at bay for weeks. Laura Roslin kissed him back with equal heat. Now he knew everything. If he wanted her despite all this, she would not deny herself any longer. It struck her as funny that her dying wish was something rather indecent. She'd have her heaven now since she might not have it later.

Adama considered himself damned for other reasons. He defied the Admiral and now all bets were off. He would pay for this, but right now, he considered making love to her worth any price. Running his kisses down her neck and his hands down her back, he pulled her back toward his bed. Keeping his left hand on her waist, he lightly slipped the back of his right hand down her cheek, under her chin and down her neck. She held her breath when he laid his hand flat over the top buttons of her blouse. He looked into her eyes for permission and could see he had it.

When he brought his left hand up from her waist to the buttons, he let his open palm brush feather-light over her breast. She tilted her head back but it seemed to be in pleasure, not pain, so when he undid all of the buttons, he pushed the material away by gently smoothing his hands over the cups of her bra.

She kissed him again but he withdrew from her to pick her blouse up off the floor. Mystified, she watched as he undid the buttons on his jacket and crossed over to the chair she hung her coat on when she entered his room. Was he so anal retentive that he'd stop in the middle of sex to hang up clothes?

Sure enough, he took her blouse and coat over to his closet and hung them up. He hung up his own jacket, took off his shirt and hung that up too.

"What are you doing!" she asked incredulously.

"You're going to be here for a long time." He looked her in the eye as he crossed back over to her. "As long as it takes for me to give you every pleasure I can possibly think of."

President Roslin swallowed.

"Then," he said in a disarmingly sexy voice as he slid behind her and put his arms around her waist, "I'm going to look up some more. If we left your clothes on the floor for days, they'd be wrinkled beyond belief when I finally let you go." He pressed his lips to her ear. "I need your skirt," he whispered as he splayed one hand on her bare stomach, dipping a few fingers below her waistband. With his other hand, he undid the button and zipper in the back of her skirt.

Instead of pulling it down from the hem, he slowly slid both hands inside the waistband and down her thighs until it fell away. He moved around to face her then knelt to pick her skirt up. As he took it in his hands, he purposely kept close enough to her that she could feel his breath on her legs. When she ran her fingers into his hair, he knew he was having the desired knee-weakening impact.

She stepped out of the skirt and he rose to go hang it up but she caught him from behind and wrapped her arms around him. "Wait a minute. You might as well hang up your trousers at the same time," she said playfully. He smiled as she kissed his shoulder and undid his pants.

A man of his word, they made love longer and in more ways than either of them had before. On the first day, Billy called looking for the President. Tigh called looking for the Commander. They were sent away with the lame excuse of a marathon strategy session. On the second day, Admiral Cain called looking for both of them.