Chapter Thirteen

Jessica decided there were few things more boring than watching history in the making, political history at least. She had tried to get out of sitting in on the conference, "Can't I just poke my head in and scan the room?" but to no avail. Roslin wanted her sitting in the audience so once Jessica determined there wasn't a Cylon to be found in the room, she was stuck among the press hounds, counting the slim light bars that ran end to end across the ceiling. Thirty at last count.

The only person who looked even close to as bored as she felt was Kara, who was singing an old popular radio hit about 'grabbing that boy and making him scream,' in her head. Once Jessica remembered the tune, it wouldn't leave her head either and she had to stifle the urge to hum the slow jazzy beat.

Lee's eyes were scanning the room constantly, coldly alert as if he expected someone to spring out and attack at any moment. When his eyes would meet hers, Jessica would feel her cheeks warm as if he was the one who could hear the lyrics dancing through her brain.

She'd woken in a considerably better, more energetic mood. She knew her sleep hadn't been dreamless, she had never had ever had a dreamless sleep. But it was a relief when she didn't remember some of the darker ones. The dampness on her pillow told her all she wanted to know.

Jessica revised her status as most bored person in the room when she saw Baltar with his head resting on his arms, fast asleep. "Perfect representative for Caprica," she grumbled in a low voice.

He came awake with a start and Jessica jumped, almost certain she had seen a hand on his head that had seemed to come out of nowhere. She blinked and told herself it must have been an after-effect of Cottle's pill. Baltar tried to act nonchalant, in case anyone was looking his way, as if he hadn't been seconds away from snoring.

Then he was looking at Jessica…or, not exactly at her, she realized. He was looking at the woman next to her, a red-haired reporter that was smiling back at him with a look that made Jessica want to toss her cookies.

Baltar shifted in his chair and slid down slightly as if trying to get a clearer look at something in their direction.

The reporter next to her uncrossed her legs and Jessica suddenly knew that Red Hair was not wearing any panties.

And by the grin on Baltar's face, he knew it too.

Jessica turned to Red Hair. "Oh my Gods!" She hissed in frank disapproval. The woman smugly ignored her. Jessica looked around for another empty chair, wanting to distance herself from Baltar's amorous pursuits.

She spotted a stocky blond man sitting in the last row, looking at his watch. A nervous shudder Jessica learned to never ignore trickled down her back. He stood, grabbed a black suitcase and made for the exit.

When Zarek stood and announced that he wanted to make a motion for the election of a Vice President, Jessica turned her attention back to the proceedings, making a mental note to ask Lee or Kara about the man later.

Of course, Zarek tried to act pleasantly surprised when the head of one of the other colonies stood and nominated Zarek for the position, though Jessica knew for a fact Zarek had paid off the asshat to throw Zarek's hat in the ring.

Who the hell would want a terrorist crackpot for a leader? Jessica wondered sharing a look of incredulous disgust with Lee across the room.

Geminon apparently did as the black female representative stood and seconded the motion.

"Frak me," Jessica heard Kara mutter mentally.

Good lords, Jessica thought. Anyone would be a better choice than Zarek. Jessica scanned the room, her eyes landing on the lascivious Baltar. Well, maybe not anyone.

Imagining Zarek as President and Baltar as Vice President, she shuddered. There was a nightmare team, if she'd ever saw one. They'd take care of humanity's destruction and the Cylon's wouldn't have to lift a finger.

After the meeting was over, Jessica found Lee in the bar, nursing a glass of ambrosia. "Well, that was frightening. There's something very wrong about Zarek in any position of power," she said sliding onto the stool next to him.

Lee gave a bitter snort and took another drink from his glass, motioning for the bartender to get him another. "And one for the lady."

"Oh no, I'm good," Jessica insisted. Then she shrugged. "You know what? On second thought, yeah. I think Zarek as Vice President might make sense if I get drunk."

"In that case bring us the bottle," Lee called out to the bartender.

Jessica turned and watched the bar patrons for a little while when Zarek's voice came over the radio. She gave a disgusted grunt and when she looked at Lee, he rolled his eyes at her. "I was thinking, Zarek as President, Baltar as Vice President; the Cylons almost look like a happy alternative and we wouldn't have to worry about the Cylons instituting a No Panty rule for all of the female population."

Lee choked on his drink, "What?" he asked laughing.

"Trust me, you don't want to know." The possessive, jealous hussy inside of her mentally remarked that she didn't want Lee knowing about other women and their panties, or lack thereof.

"Hey, turn that crap off," Lee ordered the bartender. Obviously, like herself, Lee was having trouble stomaching Zarek and his speeches about all the good he planned to do if voted into office.

"Gods save us all," Jessica exclaimed blowing a raspberry at the radio. The hairs on the back of her neck suddenly raised and when she turned around she noticed the blond man once again, sitting innocently at a table. His black suitcase was propped open on the table. "Lee, have you seen that guy before?"

Lee waited until after the bartender had switched the radio channel to some soft piano jazz and followed Jessica's gaze. "Oh yeah, I think he was one of the press guys at-"

"Hey, I was listening to that," a man, a very large scary-looking man protested, standing up from his seat and walking towards them.

Lee stiffened and slid off his stool. "Is that right?"

"Yeah some of us actually care about what Mr Zarek has to say." The bear of a man easily towered over Lee. "Like you, right? You wanna hear what Mr Zarek has to say, right?" He directed his question to the blond man with the briefcase who simply shrugged.

"I don't care one way or the other," he replied.

"Well I take that as yes. Turn it back on."

"Zarek? Really?" Jessica asked him, unable to believe the man's gullibility.

"He speaks for all of us. He's a man of the people," the man insisted.

"Well, you're people. Sort of," Lee sneered.

Oh, Captain Apollo, Jessica mentally groaned, feeling the tension in the room rise.

The 'bear' stepped closer to Lee. Lee stubbornly, (stupidly?) held his ground.

She knew fists were gonna be thrown, just knew it and yet she still had to try and stop them. "Okay, okay. Why don't we just take a few steps back here? We've all got our opinions on Zarek and we should be free to express them without coming to blows. Isn't that right, Captain?" Jessica slipped between the two men, facing Lee and pleading with her eyes for him to back off.

"Why don't you just mind you own business, honey?" the bear said tauntingly.

Lee stepped closer, his eyes burning with growing fury until Jessica was nearly squished between the two men.

"Hey. Hey!" Jessica snapped, trying to get Lee's attention. "Look, you don't have to prove what a tough guy you are, okay? You're a big macho guy okay Lee? Well done. I'm impressed. But the guy is three times your size. What do you think you're doing?"

Lee stared down at her, his fists clenched.

"Please, can we just finish our drinks and go?" Jessica pleaded.

"Fine. Fine," he pushed out through clenched teeth, taking a step back.

"Yeah, I thought so," the bear replied with a smug smile. "Put the station back where it was,"

"Leave it," Lee shot back at the bartender and Jessica groaned audibly.

She wasn't surprised when 'the bear' lifted his hands in feigned surrender and then came back swinging.

Jessica crouched down between the stools as the fists started flying.