5. "ano sa" ("hey, you know...")
By the time the reception started, Billy'd been awake for almost thirty-five hours. Everything had come down to a very desperate rabbit out of Roslin's rather over-extended hat, but in the end everything worked out. Probably.
Sighing, Billy scrubbed a hand through his hair and mentally tried to talk his blood pressure down from insane to merely frightening. They were completely making this up as they went along. Clinging to the articles like a dying man to a life-raft. A bit morbid, maybe, but accurate.
Gods, he needed a drink.
Or a year-long nap. He had no idea how the President was doing this. Sure, she had a few more naps a day than he did, but he really didn't begrudge her those. He was there to take care of most of the administrative paperwork. Grease the wheels and make sure she only needed to see the people she actually needed to see. And he was doing it. Doing it well, if the President's random smirks and late night tea sessions were anything to go by. That and the fact that he was in on pretty much every meeting ever.
Still, he'd give his right arm for a staff of about ten more people. He had no idea how the Presidents aides pre-Cylon Attack managed.
He stifled a small groan and made his way through one of the last hallways on the way to the reception. Around him, people mingled and chatted, dressed to the nines. It was more than a little jarring to go from the relative simplicity and professionalism of Colonial One to Cloud 9's opulence. Not bad, just weird.
"Hey, there stranger!" Dee's bright and very welcome voice sounded behind him. Almost instantly, his shoulders relaxed from their position around his ears. He'd momentarily forgotten that she'd agreed to be his date at the reception.
One nice bonus on being overworked to the extreme as a presidential aide was that he got to invite a date from anywhere in the fleet. Guaranteed shuttle and all.
Smiling, he turned to greet her... and promptly forgot how to swallow.
"Wow.."
She laughed then. Threw her head back and giggled to the overly-ornate ceiling. Her face was clear and happy, and the rest of her. Well. The 'wow' pretty much covered it.
"You like?" She moved towards him, giving a little turn and pirouette before sliding over to him to hook an arm around his waist. "I borrowed it from one of the greeters. It's a little long, but it fits everywhere else."
He was gawking, and knew it. "You... just. WOW."
Standing up on her toes, Dee reached up and drew him into a long hello kiss. It was hot and steamy and by the end of it his exhausted body wasn't feeling all that tired anymore.
"Well, I'm glad you like." Dee ran a thumb over his lips, presumably to rid him of a lipstick smear. He grinned again, trailing a finger over the curve of her nose and cheek.
"I do like. I like a lot. Any chance you can get away with wearing that in CIC?"
She giggled, pulling back and hooking an arm through his. "I think the Old Man would have a lot to say about that. C'mon. I heard there was dancing around here and I intend to wear you out, Keikeya."
The stress of the last few days fled at the idea of a few hours in Dee's completely willing arms. "As the lady wishes."
